Reasons to Obey the Law While in School Zones…

You grab your things, rush out the door, and begin driving to your appointment. You actually might make it in time! Yippee! And then you see it; the dreaded yellow blinking light signaling that you are entering a school zone. You glance around and don’t see any kids, or cops for that matter, so what’s the harm in speeding, right? Wrong! School zone laws are in place for a reason, and that is for the safety of children. So slow down, take a breath, and succumb to the fact that while you may be a few minutes late, at least the children will be safe.

But really, there are no kids around!

While you may not see any kids around at the moment, that does not mean they will not be just around the corner. Kids move fast, and they are little, make it really easy to miss seeing one if you are going too fast. That is why the speed limit in most school zones is 20 miles per hour. At that speed, you have enough time to really take in your surroundings so you do not risk hitting a child.

But my car doesn’t even idle that slowly!

That may be true, but you need to do everything you can to get your car to that speed, even if it means riding your breaks. Not only are kids are risk if you speed, but you also risk getting a speeding ticket. Cops love to hide out in school zones, as they make for easy targets. And it is pretty much guaranteed that if you get pulled over the cop is not going to care what your car’s idle speed is.

So I get a speeding ticket? Who cares?

Well, you should. In school zones, the fines are much higher than traditional speeding tickets. In fact, depending on how fast you are going and what state you live in, the fine could range anywhere from $200 up to $800. Not only that, but speeding tickets received in school zones are non-negotiable. That means you cannot go to court to try to get the fine reduced or the ticket eliminated from your record. Yep, that means you will likely get an increase in your insurance premium as well.

So the next time you are tempted to speed through a school zone, think again. Is the appointment you are headed to really worth a speeding ticket and a steep fine? Or even worse, are the few extra minutes it will take to slow down worth a child’s life?