Saving Lives in Florida School Zones: The Safety Benefits of Speed Detection Systems

Speeding in school zones poses a danger to our children, and it is our responsibility as a community to take action to protect them. According to a School Safety Study, Florida is the second most dangerous state in the United States for school zone safety.¹

In fact, 92% of traffic citations issued in 40 Florida counties during a week-long period were issued for unlawful speeding in school zones, according to The Florida Sheriffs Association Task Force Operation School Zone Safety.²

New Legislation | New Safety Tools

Florida House Bill 657 (HB 657) is in place to help communities protect children by enforcing speed limits in school zones through speed detection systems, otherwise known as school zone safety cameras. Cities and counties nationwide have implemented speed safety camera programs to raise awareness, change driver behavior, and enhance safety.

Why School Zone Safety Cameras?

Safety cameras are a cost-effective and reliable solution for enhancing safety in school zones. They work by automatically detecting and capturing the license plate of vehicles traveling over the enforceable speed limit during designated school hours. Each event is reviewed by law enforcement, who examines the evidence to determine if a violation took place. Once approved, a citation is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, “A plethora of studies confirm that speeding, red-light and school bus stop-arm camera programs are a proven way to change driver behavior, resulting in increased safety for everyone on the road.”³

This translates to fewer close calls, fewer injuries, and fewer fatalities involving children.

Florida School Zone Safety Camera Programs

The success of school zone safety camera programs is primarily attributed to an exclusive end-to-end solution that incorporates all the services required to reduce speeding, including the hardware, software, and services provided by Verra Mobility.

Florida school zone safety programs include:

• High-performance hardware: Compact speed enforcement system with the latest detection, video, and lighting components.
• Secure software platform: Law enforcement review, evidence packages, citation generation, payment support, court integration, analytics, and reporting.
• Effective public awareness: Public relations materials that increase awareness and educate drivers about the technology and the importance of slowing down in a school zone.
• Installation, maintenance, and training: Experienced teams that implement, maintain, and educate all safety program stakeholders.
• Turnkey services: An end-to-end solution that makes implementing a highly complex speed safety program easy for clients.

Benefits to Florida Communities

• Reduces speeding in school zones
• Improves safety for students and faculty
• Increases public awareness of school zone safety laws
• Provides funding for school safety initiatives

How You Can Get Involved

• Educate yourself on Florida School Zone Safety Camera Programs.
• Share information about the safety program with your colleagues and community members.
• Advocate for the implementation of school zone safety cameras in your community.

By working together, we can make our schools safer for all children.

To learn more about Florida School Zone Safety Camera Programs, please learn more at: https://www.verramobility.com/floridasafezones/

1. https://www.zendrive.com/data-studies/2018-school-safety-study
2. https://www.flsheriffs.org/publications/entry/lorida-sheriffs-task-force-operation-school-zone-safety-earned-substantial-numbers-to-help-keep-our-children-safe
3. https://www.ghsa.org/resources/news-releases/automated-enforcement-report23