ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions and shares tips about the rules of the road, helping Central Florida residents become better drivers by being better educated.
News 6 viewer, Laura J. asked, “Driving through a school zone on a holiday and the lights are flashing, can we get pulled over for not slowing down in this zone?”
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Trooper Steve says “practice makes permanent” and what he hopes everyone does on a normal basis when it comes to driving safely.
“Constantly using your turning signal or reminding yourself to make a complete stop at a stop sign prepares you for days down the road to make this a routine pattern. The same with apply to obeying the speeds in a school zone,” he said.
Public schools are out and there are no students on major federal holidays, but occasionally the school zone would be active with flashing lights as you’re driving through, he said.
“Technically by law, the school zone would still be active. On the flipside of that, I do not know any law enforcement officer who would be sitting there on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day, for example, enforcing the school zone as an ‘active’ school one,” Trooper Steve said.
He also said school zones could be active on weekends when you think no one is there, but sometimes special events are taking place at schools where that school zone has been activated.
“So, commit it to memory that you should treat every school zone with care because at the end of the day, it’s either your student or someone else’s who is depending on your safe actions,” he said.