We should always be mindful of school zones and slow down. Too often people blow through school zones, ignoring the great risk of putting innocent young lives in danger.
Habersham County does a great job protecting school zones with school resource officers directing traffic each morning and afternoon. Now the cities of Baldwin and Tallulah Falls have taken it a step further installing traffic cameras.
Baldwin is in its third school year using traffic cameras to enforce speeds in front of its elementary school. With a playground fence running parallel to Willingham Avenue and heavy school traffic twice a day, this makes great sense to protect students and their families.
Folks now know to slow down to 25-miles an hour in the school zone or they’ll receive an expensive ticket in the mail.
On Sept. 7, the city of Tallulah Falls began issuing tickets in the school zone on the four-lane Hwy. 441 running between Tallulah Falls Middle School and High School. The cameras operate in the school zone throughout the entire school day.
Hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 6:45 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. The cameras will not issue citations any time after 4:15 p.m., before 6:45 a.m. or on weekends, holidays, teacher workdays or any other time school is canceled or not in session.
With 15 schools in Habersham County, we all need to remember to slow down. Chances are you have or have had a student in one of our schools. You remember how hectic it is right before dropping off a student in the morning.
Trying to make sure your student has everything they need for the day or calling out those last-minute questions before a quiz.
And then there are our first-time drivers trying to beat the bell.
We should all never speed, but at times we all do. The school zone is not the place for that, however.
Thank you to the school resource officers and city councils who approved better protection for our children in school.