Florida bill calls for speed cameras in school zones, but some civil liberties groups say not so fast
RIVERVIEW, Fla. - Along one of the busiest school zones in Hillsborough County, Josephine Amato says speeders are everywhere.
"Frequently you will see vehicles doing 60 miles an hour," shared Amato, a mother of three.
Dozens of yards after the intersection is one of Riverview High School’s school zones, where drivers are instructed to pump the brakes down to 20 miles an hour.
A new proposal in Tallahassee is asking drivers to ditch the need for speed, or face a hefty fine.
"I think it was a great first step to addressing the high traffic volume and the speeding that surrounds all of the schools," Amato said.
Separate bills filed in the state House and Senate would install speed cameras near school zones. Similar to red light cameras, they would capture a driver’s speed and tag number, and mail you a ticket. In the House proposal, the fine would be $132.
Amato, who started the local group "Safe-Bus-For-Us," says the date her group has gathered over time proves the need. Her group strives to develop safe paths for children to get to and from schools.
"Every day our school bus drivers are reporting 10,000 cars are illegally passing school buses," she explained. "So in the school zones, my organization does audits, and every day we see cars and vehicles speeding and in crosswalks. When children are in the crosswalks."
In Hillsborough County alone, there are 260 school zones. State Rep. Jackie Toledo says it would be most beneficial for the zones in high volume or high-speed areas.
"They’ll probably have some type of threshold they’d have to meet, so we could reduce the fiscal impact," Toledo stated. "But I think ultimately we’re trying to make our roads safer for our students."
But while everyone is for safer roads, some civil liberties groups say automated enforcement isn’t the way to go. Lawsuits against them are working their way through the courts. Laws in 10 different states prohibit both red light and speed cameras. Florida law doesn’t address their use at all.
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And Representative Toledo believes they could help make people better drivers, overall.
"I think all people would say once they see something that shows how fast their going, they do slow down, Toledo said. "It’s psychological."
For Amato, the statistics are reason enough.
"A child will survive a pedestrian crash at 20 miles per hour," she said. "Anything above that, the chances of a child surviving a pedestrian crash is only 20 percent," she said.
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