"On schools days when children are present" - what does that mean to you?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

I'm working on a project where I drive through like four school zones at least twice a day.

I stick to 20mph even when there are no kids around. I'm wondering if I'm being overly cautious. I guess I'm mainly afraid of getting a serious moving violation but I also would rather not hid a kid. I see the cops have someone pulled over at least once a week - but I honestly can't say if it was during actual presence of kids on the sidewalk.

The statute is (at least to me) a bit vague. And I see people whizzing past me. I seem to remember something about "curb to curb" but that was a million years ago.

But I generally stick to "in a school zone on school days until 5pm ish ".... It looks like 4pm is the cutoff.

This has been bugging me for a while. I've actually thought of asking a cop doing radar - but I generally avoid cops. My boyfriend says I suffer from catholic guilt. I say it's too many YouTube videos.

Here is the illinois statute:



Illinois General

(625 ILCS 5/11-605) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11-605)
Sec. 11-605. Special speed limit while passing schools.
(a) For the purpose of this Section, "school" means the following entities:
(1) A public or private primary or secondary school.
(2) A primary or secondary school operated by a

religious institution.
(3) A public, private, or religious nursery school.
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.
For the purpose of this Section a school day shall begin at seven ante meridian and shall conclude at four post meridian.
This Section shall not be applicable unless appropriate signs are posted upon streets and highways under their respective jurisdiction and maintained by the Department, township, county, park district, city, village or incorporated town wherein the school zone is located. With regard to the special speed limit while passing schools, such signs shall give proper due warning that a school zone is being approached and shall indicate the school zone and the maximum speed limit in effect during school days when school children are present.
(b) (Blank).
(c) Nothing in this Chapter shall prohibit the use of electronic speed-detecting devices within 500 feet of signs within a special school speed zone indicating such zone, as defined in this Section, nor shall evidence obtained thereby be inadmissible in any prosecution for speeding provided the use of such device shall apply only to the enforcement of the speed limit in such special school speed zone.
(d) (Blank).
(e) A first violation of this Section is a petty offense with a minimum fine of $150. A second or subsequent violation of this Section is a petty offense with a minimum fine of $300.
(f) When a fine for a violation of subsection (a) is $150 or greater, the person who violates subsection (a) shall be charged an additional $50 to be paid to the unit school district where the violation occurred for school safety purposes. If the violation occurred in a dual school district, $25 of the surcharge shall be paid to the elementary school district for school safety purposes and $25 of the surcharge shall be paid to the high school district for school safety purposes. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the entire $50 surcharge shall be paid to the appropriate school district or districts.
For purposes of this subsection (f), "school safety purposes" includes the costs associated with school zone safety education, the Safe Routes to School Program under Section 2705-317 of the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, safety programs within the School Safety and Educational Improvement Block Grant Program under Section 2-3.51.5 of the School Code, and the purchase, installation, and maintenance of caution lights which are mounted on school speed zone signs.
(g) (Blank).
(h) (Blank).
(Source: P.A. 96-52, eff. 7-23-09.)

Home | Legislation & Laws | House | Senate | My Legislation | Disclaimers | Email

Legislative Information System logo This site is maintained for the Illinois General Assembly by the
Legislative Information System, 705 Stratton Building, Springfield, Illinois 62706
217-782-3944 217-782-2050 (TTY)

[csziggy]

1. I'm pretty much the same as you - I slow down even if I don't see kids

I don't have kids so I have no idea when schools are in session. So "when children are present" means nothing to me. It's the kids I might not see that are in danger!

Thankfully the two school zones I most often have to drive through have warning lights that flash when the school zone speed limit is in effect. I wish all school zones had those - it would make it easier to observe the speed limit and get me attention when I am driving in unfamiliar areas.

Oddly, the cars that ignore the school zone speed limit and rush past me seem to be the ones turning into the school drives to let off or pick up their kids.

[LWolf]

2. We have 3 kinds of signs in my state:

"When present" means when you can see them outside of the school building.

[whistler162]

3. It means there are more people around.

Students and Teachers so I have to see if they need technical help.

Now driving through the school zone. If it is during the hours posted and on a school day doesn't matter if you see students in the area. Keep to the posted.

[OriginalGeek]

4. My wife once got a ticket for turning right on red "During school hours"

I forget what time it was but there were no kids present and the school was actually 3 blocks down the road and there were many other places in the same neighborhood where "school hours" were expressly stated and the time she turned right was not during any of the other posted hours.

So she paid the fine but she raised a stink and we noticed a few weeks later the sign that just said "during school hours" had been replaced with a sign that listed all the applicable school hours.


Still pissed about that. It's the only ticket she's gotten in 40 years of driving.

[Skittles]

5. I crawl through school zones

here, yellow flashing signs tell us where it starts and where it stops - no guessing - I see mostly compliance