Last updated April 12, 2019
Driving while using new or old cell phones is illegal in many areas of the United States anyway, but police in Sherman in Texas are reminding drivers to take extra heed of the warnings when it comes to driving through school zones, as children and teenagers prepare to return to classes for the fall semester.
“Please, please watch for the kids,” pleads crossing guard Mary Ann Dunavan. “They’re excited, they’re running, and they’re not thinking – but the adults need to be.”
“Especially for the first couple of weeks,” adds Sgt Bruce Dawsey from Sherman Police. “You know, kids are excited about going back to school. They’re running out between cars. They’re not paying attention, and it’s usually a crowded, congested area. So the last thing you want is someone to be distracted.” The fact is however that as the number of cell phones only continues to grow, so too do the number of people who use them while driving, even regardless of what the law says, and Dawsey believes that it is in actual fact getting worse, largely down to the fact that so many cell phones or now also capable of surfing the internet and sending text messages in addition to their other functions, adding to the list of possible distractions.
The fine for being caught driving while using a cell phone is $222, a steep price, and for a good reason. “We want it to be expensive for the sole reason of keeping people from doing it,” Dawsey notes.