Use caution in school zones

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard

With school starting around the county tomorrow, police officers are urging motorists to drive slowly when traveling through school zones.

McMinnville police officer Mark Mara knows people speed through school zones. He sees it all the time.

“I usually stop on average about three speeders in the morning and three in the afternoon,” said Mara, who has been patrolling around Bobby Ray Elementary since students returned to school there July 25.

With school back in session around the county starting tomorrow morning, McMinnville Police Department wants to remind motorists that 15 mph speeds will be enforced when traveling through school zones. And speeding through a school zone can be a costly mistake.

Police Capt. Bryan Denton said fines are doubled in a school zone from $1 for every mile over the speed limit to $2 for every mile over the limit.

A big kicker is school zone speeders are not eligible for safety school, which allows drivers to pay $100 for the class and have the ticket dismissed upon successful completion. This keeps points from accumulating on your license.

But more than fines and license points, observing the 15 mph school zone speed limit is simply a smart safety idea.

“You have a high volume of traffic pulling in and out of parking lots, including buses,” said Mara. “Plus there’s a lot of foot traffic too. So the 15 mph speed limit makes sense.”

Denton also wanted to remind motorists to be on the lookout for school buses that have stopped to load or unload children. It’s against the law to pass these buses, even if you are traveling in the opposite lane of traffic.