GARDEN CITY, Ga. (WSAV) — The Garden City Police Department(GCPD) has installed school zone cameras at Garden City Elementary in an effort to curb speeders and increase safety.
The 30-day warning period begins March 21 and enforcement will begin on April 21.
During the warning period, violators will receive a warning in the mail that carries no fine. After the warning period has expired, violators will receive a citation in the mail. Police say the violation is a civil violation and is not considered a traffic violation, so drivers will not receive points on their driver’s license, and it will not be reported to insurance.
Flashing lights and additional road signs to show a vehicle’s speed and give advance warning of the upcoming school zone will be posted around the school.
Cameras will be used to identify any vehicles traveling over the approved speed limit. If a driver is captured driving 11 mph or more over the posted speed limit, they will receive a citation in the mail.
According to GCPD, the automated speed zone will be enforced on school days starting 30 minutes before school starts until 30 minutes after the end of the school day. Even when lights are not flashing, the regularly posted speed limit will be photo enforced when school is in session and children are present.
As a part of the program, police conducted speed studies during school hours for a five-day period to determine how many vehicles were speeding through the school zones. Over 700 vehicles were observed speeding over 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.