Heavy Fines Are Possible When Found Guilty of Speeding in a School Zone
Illinois school zones pose a unique set of hazards for drivers, especially drivers who may be in a hurry and may be paying less attention. Whenever school in session, the area around a school building means children are walking to and from school, to and from school buses, and to and from their parents’ cars. To help protect children, Illinois has a special set of laws that seek to help elevate safe driving in a school zone.
Illinois statute 625 ILCS 5/11-605 states:
On a school day when school children are present and so close thereto that a potential hazard exists because of the close proximity of the motorized traffic, no person shall drive a motor vehicle at a speed in excess of 20 miles per hour while passing a school zone or while traveling on a roadway on public school property or upon any public thoroughfare where children pass going to and from school.
Avoid Speeding in a School Zone
The state of Illinois employs several distinctive ways of marking off the school zone area to make it stand out from the surrounding road. One of the most common is a bright-yellow pentagon-shaped sign. If the sign has a picture of two children walking but no crosswalk, you are getting close to a school zone. If it shows two children walking inside a crosswalk, there is a school crosswalk ahead, and you should slow down and be alert.
Illinois school zones also have special speed limit signs to warn drivers of the change in speed limit. These signs are white and rectangular, with a yellow band on top that has the word “school” written across it. The white part of the sign indicates the 20 mph speed limit and often has the times the speed limit is in effect written across the bottom.
Contact an Experienced Attorney Today
While speeding in a school zone is considered a “Petty Offense” because it is punishable criminally only by a fine up to $1,000, the Illinois Secretary of State may suspend your license depending on your driving history.
In all cases involving speeding in a school zone, it is important to contact a skilled lawyer. To obtain quality legal representation for speeding cases in Rockford, Machesney Park, Loves Park, Winnebago County or the surrounding Illinois counties, contact the Law Office of Paul M. Marriett for a free consultation. To see what options are available to you, call us at (815) 391-0089, contact us securely through the form on this page or email our office.