Duluth is about to be the latest Atlanta-area city taking extra steps to enforce safe driving in school zones, with a new camera-automated ticketing system.
The Duluth Police Department announced on Wednesday that it is launching a School Zone Safety Program that will focus on regulating speeds around city schools.
The program will launch around Duluth and Coleman Middle Schools, and Mason and Chattahoochee Elementary Schools.
The department said a preliminary traffic study found those four schools saw more than 8,000 drivers going more than 10 mph over the speed limit on one school day.
“We expect that number to drop precipitously with new signage and a warning period coming later this year before cameras go live,” a Duluth Police release said.
Georgia state Rep. Erica Thomas, who represents Cobb County in District 31, last year backed a bill to allow for automated speed enforcement in school zones.
That bill became law a year ago.
"It's scary for our children," Thomas told 11Alive last year. "And so, hopefully, using these speed detection cameras, we're able to catch people who are speeding through our school zones and making our kids unsafe."
The program will incorporate speed cameras as well as other traffic technology, according to the release. That will include real-time high-definition traffic monitoring and alerts if “known dangers enter the school zone” such as fugitives and sex offenders, according to police.
Duluth Police said only people going more than 15 mph over the speed limit will be cited, with fines starting at $75 and going as high $125 for additional violations.
“This is significantly less than an officer-written ticket in a school zone that can cost upwards of $300 and which require substantial police time to enforce,” the Duluth Police release said.
The cameras, which will only be operational on school days, will be installed throughout the summer and ready for the start of the new school year.
Since the law to allow automated speed monitoring took effect a year ago, a company called RedSpeed has been contracting with several cities and counties in Georgia, including now in Duluth, to install and operate and manage the speed detection systems.
According to the company’s website, since 2006, its system has resulted in a 30 percent reduction in accidents.
So far in Duluth there have been no accidents in school zones caused by speeders, and police say that by installing the speed detection cameras they intend to keep it that way.
“With increased signage and stricter speed enforcement, we hope that drivers will slow down and pay attention,” police said. “The City hopes the program will deliver big safety benefits in school zones.”
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