School zone speeding citation table
From To Fine Court Cost Total
0 10 $88 $122 $210
11 15 $128 $122 $250
16 20 $178 $122 $300
21 999 $198 $122 $320
Cell Phone Use in a School Zone $200
Source: City of Abilene
A motorist drives through a school zone on South 14th Street while talking on a cell phone in November 2009.
It’s like a pit stop at a NASCAR race: cars dart into open spots, stop, and then try to get going as soon as possible.
Unlike a race, though, driving through a school zone is not about speed.
“The most important thing is that people just have to be patient,” said Diane Rose, principal of Bonham Elementary School. “At every single campus there are so many people trying to do the same thing at the same time.”
As school begins for most districts next week, the enforcement in school zones by police will tighten to keep control of what can be a hectic time.
Sgt. Keith Shackleford of the Abilene Police Department said officers will have “heavy enforcement” in school zones.
“There is much more enforcement at the beginning of the year because, frankly, people aren’t in the habit,” Shackleford said. “We’re going to enforce on whatever violation is observed.”
Speeding through a school zone is a well known violation. According to the city of Abilene, a speeding citation in a school zone up to 10 miles per hour above the posted limit can cost $210.
In 2009, there were 225 speeding in a school zone citations issued. By contrast, just 131 were issued in 2008 and 148 in 2007.
So far in 2010, 70 citations have been issued.
Shackleford said the point of such strict enforcement in those zones is safety.
“So many things can go wrong, there has to be strict control,” he said. “We have to have strict controls there to err on the side of safety for our kids.”
A newer law, however, started being enforced last year and has become a more established violation.
Using a cell phone without a hands-free device in a school zone became an enforced traffic violation last year. After much awareness over the issue, Shackleford said the violation is now like any other.
“It’s just like any law now because there’s been enough public education and enough awareness where it shouldn’t catch people by surprise,” he said.
A citation for using a cell phone in a school zone costs $200, according to the city of Abilene.
Last year 11 such citations were issued after the law went into effect in September. So far this calendar year, six of those citations have been issued.
Statewide, a recent survey shows that school zone fines in Abilene are close to the state average.
A survey of 80 police departments and municipal courts conducted by Allstate Insurance showed that the average speeding fine in a school zone is $211.
The survey asked the average fine for a driver going 10 mph more than the speed limit. The state average is just $1 more than Abilene.
The highest fine found in the survey was $312 in Huntsville.
“When you hit people in their pocketbook, they tend to listen a little bit more,” said Kristen Beaman, spokeswoman for Allstate Insurance, which conducted the survey. “No matter how high or how low the fines, the point is it’s there for a reason and that is to protect our kids and save lives.”
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