Crime & Safety

Speeding Through School Zones Could Cost You $443

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is encouraging drivers to be alert and cautious as school begins.

Attention motorists: School is back in session beginning Tuesday, and that means increased morning and afternoon traffic as school buses and parents take kids to and from school.

Kids might also be walking or crossing the streets, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is asking drivers to be alert and careful.

Failing to stop for a bus could cost you $258. Fines for speeding in Hillsborough County school zones range from $143 to $443, and some have mandated court appearances, according to Det. Larry McKinnon, public information officer for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

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Deputies will be heightening their patrols in school zones, as well as other roadways in the vicinity of schools, he said.

Every year, there are repeated incidents of drivers failing to obey the laws regarding stopped school buses, McKinnon said. Motorists who are uncertain about when a stop is required can familiarize themselves with the state’s “Stop on Red, Kids Ahead.”

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The state of Florida does not provide bus transportation for school children who live within a two-mile radius of their school. Therefore, many residential roads and some major roadways have the potential to be school routes.

Drivers should be especially cautious as they approach intersections, with or without marked crosswalks, and pay particular attention to those areas that are designated as school crossings with the bright yellow signs, McKinnon said.

When approaching traffic signals, especially those designated as school crossings, McKinnon said drivers should make note of children who are approaching the roadway. Right turns on red can be extremely dangerous to pedestrians, especially smaller ones who might be more difficult to see from the driver’s seat.

Parents should also take extra care in educating their children about pedestrian and bicycle safety by traveling the route with their child during the first several days of school to ensure they know the appropriate places to cross and how to do so safely, McKinnon said. Kids should know to look left, right, and left again when crossing the road. Bike riders should wear a helmet and walk their bikes through crosswalks.

For more information on how to stay safe on the roads during the beginning of the school year, read these .


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