An East Liverpool mother said she's wants a sign to warn drivers to be on the lookout for her visually impaired child, but city officials said that studies show the type of sign she wants is actually a distraction to drivers.

Cara Dellappenna said she's witnessed cars traveling at a high rate of speed near her home on McKinnon Avenue. She said her 3 1/2-year-old son was diagnosed as being partially blind when he was 6 months old, and she fears for his safety because he's had too many close calls.

"On a busy day you can see cars flying both ways and they don't even pay attention to where kids are," she said. "The traffic through here -- everyone goes flying through here. I've had numerous people I've jumped out in front of because of my son."

Dellappenna said someone from the city told her she would have to pay nearly $500 to have a sign installed a block from her home, warning drivers to slow down because there is a blind child that lives in the area.

"They wanted me to give them $450 to get a pole and sign for the (caution) of a blind child. That was for the pole and sign and for them to dig the hole," she said.

However, the city's safety services director, Ryan Estell, told NEWS9 a sign would cost much less than $450 -- more like $75.

Even so, he said that the city discourages residents from installing those types of signs, as studies show they are a distraction to drivers or are ignored. But Estell said if a resident still wants one installed, the resident will have to pay for the pole and the sign, then the city pays for the installation.

He said another reason the city cautions against installing signs is that it may provide a false sense of security to parents and children.

Dellappenna told NEWS9 she's happy that she was initially misinformed about the price. She also said that something needs to be done about the speeding cars in front of her home and still plans to purchase a sign.

"It's like if your child was deaf, you'd want that closure of saying, 'Hey, you have to watch the children. Regardless of if you live around here or not,'" she said.