Public overwhelmingly supports safety camera enforcement to protect children – JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –– A recent Florida speed study conducted by Verra Mobility recorded the number of potential speeding violations at nearly a dozen Jacksonville schools and revealed excessive levels of speeding violations at key locations, raising concerns about the safety of local children. The findings, combined with a new public opinion survey of Floridians, highlight the need for increased school zone and school bus safety measures and underscore public support for stronger enforcement, including the use of safety camera technology.
The study, conducted over a three-day period, calculated the number of vehicles traveling 11 miles per hour or more over the speed limit during enforceable school hours at dozens of Florida communities. 11 of Jacksonville’s 205 schools were included – with a total of 9,832 potential speeding violations observed.
Jacksonville area school zone speed study highlights:
-
Ford Elementary had the highest number of speeding violations of local schools with more than 3,000 potential speeding violations – this represents 43 percent of all morning drop-off traffic. This zone also exhibited more than 80 vehicles driving in excess of 30 mph over the posted speed. With the school’s population of just over 600 students, that’s nearly five potential violations per elementary student enrolled.
-
More than 1,000 vehicles were registered speeding through New Berlin Elementary School. This equates to nine percent of all traffic.
-
Payne Elementary showed nearly 800 potential speeding violations equating to 27 percent of all traffic.
-
Chimney Lakes Elementary captured 16 percent of morning traffic and nearly eight percent of all traffic during pick-up violated the posted speed, resulting in more than 1,000 speeding vehicles.
The Verra Mobility study and public opinion survey by Sachs Media paint a supportive picture regarding the need for enhanced safety measures for children in school zones – where many consider children to be protected. The survey was conducted via 500 Florida voters between October 17 and 20, with results representative of Florida voters by age, race, gender, political affiliation, and region of the state.
New survey results show public demand for safety:
-
Widespread lack of awareness: Only 35% of Floridians know that the maximum speed limit in school zones is 20 mph.
-
Frequent violations of school bus stop arm laws: Despite 88% of Floridians being aware that all drivers must stop for a school bus with its stop arm extended, 58% have witnessed drivers failing to do so in the last year.
-
Strong support for safety camera enforcement: Floridians overwhelmingly support the use of cameras to protect children:
-
87% support the use of safety cameras on school buses to enforce stop laws.
-
80% support camera enforcement in school zones to catch speeding drivers.
-
-
Concern over dangerous driving behavior: 76% of respondents expressed concerns that drivers who are not fully focused on the road pose a significant risk to students walking to and from school or while riding school buses.
“We want to give communities data to make informed decisions,” said David Dorfman, senior vice president, Verra Mobility. “This speed study analyzed only five percent of Jacksonville’s school zones and knowing that the potential number of drivers is much higher, this indicates the dangerous driver behaviors that are potentially putting students in jeopardy. Fortunately, survey results show the overwhelming support that the community has for safeguarding against possible tragedy through safety enforcement solutions.”
With three in four Florida residents concerned about dangerous driving behaviors, now is the time to implement stronger measures to protect students, and Verra Mobility is prepared to work with local officials to introduce school zone speed cameras and bus stop arm cameras that can reduce violations and help prevent tragic accidents. Proprietary data from Verra Mobility school zone safety camera programs showed a 25% reduction in school zone speeding citations during the 2023/2024 school year, with some programs experiencing an up to 70% reduction.
As part of the company’s mission to make communities safer, Verra Mobility’s proven technologies for school zones and school bus traffic violation detection can significantly reduce traffic violations that put children’s lives in danger in Jacksonville and across the state and country. To learn more, visit verramobility.com/floridasafezones/.
# # #
About Verra Mobility
Verra Mobility Corporation (NASDAQ: VRRM) is a leading provider of smart mobility technology solutions that make transportation safer, smarter, and more connected. The company sits at the center of the mobility ecosystem, bringing together vehicles, hardware, software, data, and people to enable safe, efficient solutions for customers globally. Verra Mobility’s transportation safety systems and parking management solutions protect lives, improve urban and motorway mobility, and support healthier communities. The company also solves complex payment, utilization, and compliance challenges for fleet owners and rental car companies. Headquartered in Arizona, Verra Mobility operates in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. For more information, please visit www.verramobility.com.
Be the first to comment