Every morning, parents in Clay County send their children to school, hoping they will be safe and assuming that the school district is doing everything it can to ensure each child's safety.
This winter, several Clay County school zones were monitored during a three-day speed study – where children, families, school staff and community members walk to and from school. During this short period, more than 6,000 potential speeding violations were recorded in just 12 school zones. 2,100 drivers were recorded as speeding more than 20 mph over the posted speed limit, and more than 550 vehicles were recorded traveling 60+ – ignoring flashing beacons and endangering children.
This is a shocking reality that calls for urgent change; residents shouldn’t have to question whether their children will be safe as they walk to school, play at recess, or wait for a ride home.
What’s happening in the county is happening across Florida. Florida ranks as the second-most dangerous state for pedestrians. The issue of school zone safety does not just impact students. It’s estimated that police officers spent over 5,000 hours managing traffic enforcement in school speed zones – time that could be spent elsewhere.
The question of safety has had real consequences for students in our area. In 2023, a high school student in Clay County was hit by a truck on CR-218 while boarding their school bus. Two other students – one pedestrian and one bicyclist – in St. Johns County were also hit by cars on their way to school and seriously injured.
We need to make sure our roads work for everyone – including students riding school buses and walking to school. In nearby Jacksonville, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee is working to ensure that proven safety countermeasures are being used to keep kids safe.
Traffic deaths and serious injuries are preventable. We have technical tools and the know-how to prevent these tragedies. We’ve seen safety improvement in communities across the country and around the world where they lower speeds, add traffic-calming measures, and use technology to prioritize the safety and movement of people over vehicles.
The data tells us that not only do solutions like automated enforcement tools work, but Floridians overwhelmingly support them. A Sachs Media survey determined that 80% of Floridians support school zone speed enforcement cameras. The same survey also found that 87% of Floridians support the use of cameras on school buses to make sure the law is followed when drivers are behind or next to school buses.
The community recognizes the danger students are put in by drivers in school zones, and community leaders should react accordingly and promptly to keep Clay County students safe when they’re getting to and from school.
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), speed safety cameras show a 54% reduction in all crashes and a 47% reduction in injury crashes. Having better enforcement tools will help make sure drivers follow the law and keep students safe when they’re on school buses.
The facts are clear: We need to do more to keep students safe, and there are solutions with popular support. Automated enforcement would help change driver behavior and reduce time spent on traffic enforcement in school zones.
Clay County school officials should act to make sure school speed zones do what they’re designed to: keep students safe.
Lauren Rushing is chair of Jacksonville Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
