ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Although local schools are preparing to dismiss students for the summer, the Orange County Sheriff's Office says that doesn't excuse drivers from speeding through schools zones.
The agency posted a video on its Facebook page Tuesday morning urging motorists to slow down when children are nearby.
Master Deputy Mike Johnson said in the video that drivers should enter the school zone at 20 mph instead of slowing down when they reach the area. He said distracted driving is partially to blame.
"A lot of time violators will go through the crosswalk with children in the crosswalk," Johnson said.
Master Deputy Greg Ritter said drivers need to be more vigilant since the summer months mean more children will be out and about.
"Just because the school zones are going away for the summer, our responsibility to drive safely around children actually increases. There's a lot more children out, they're going to be out in the neighborhoods, riding bikes, walking," Ritter said. "So if we change the word 'school zones' to 'kid zones,' the kid zones are everywhere. We need to be alert and paying attention to driving."
The fine for speeding in a school zone ranges from $154 to $454.