Speeders in Wrens school zone should expect citations

In the first week of school, in just the southbound lane of Highway 17 in front of Wrens Elementary, the new remote camera system set up there recorded 120 speeding violations, one of which traveling at 78 mph in the school zone during school hours. 

“That’s just traffic going in one direction,” said Police Chief John Maynard. “I think that shows that we have a problem.” 

The autonomous camera radar system, which is owned and operated by RedSpeed USA, uses an internal radar system, cameras and license plate readers to detect passing vehicles’ speed, photograph and read the tag and then mails citations to the registered owner of the vehicle. The system was installed at no expense to the city, however the city will be mailed a portion of the fines that are collected from the tickets it issues. 

“The main goal is just to make people slow down,” Maynard said. “Based on the research this company has done, a speed reduction of just 5 miles per hour doubles a child’s chance of survival if they are hit by a vehicle.” 

During the first month the camera is in operation, violators will be mailed a letter notifying them that their tag was captured by the system and warning them that in the future they will be ticketed.  

Maynard told city council at its August meeting that every speeding tag that is captured on films is reviewed or rejected immediately.  

“There’s only two that we’ve rejected,” Maynard said. “One was a diplomatic tag and the other was an emergency vehicle with its lights on. I say that because if an emergency vehicle passes through there speeding with their lights off they are still getting a ticket. Just being a government vehicle doesn’t give anyone the right to speed through a school zone. It’s only rejected if the lights are on.” 

The system only monitors speeds during times when school is open and in session and adjusts the parameters of how it tickets based on when the posted speed in that area is reduced to 35 mph. When traffic warning lights are flashing, between 7:15 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., the system is set to ticket anyone going 11 miles over the posted limit.  

“During school hours, the instructional period which is from 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. it is still considered congested area because there are students, faculty and staff there, we are going to enforce that school zone like we do the rest of the streets in town, at 15 mph over the posted limit,” Maynard said.  

From 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., when parents and buses come back to pick up their children in the afternoon, and the lights begin flashing again, the speed limit drops from 45 mph to 35 mph and then the system starts sending citations for 11 mph over again.  

At 3:40 p.m. the enforcement time ends completely.  It’s only there Mondays through Fridays and Maynard said that they have programmed the school’s calendar into the system so it will not ticket on the dates school is officially out.  

The citations are completely handled through civil court and since the state is not involved, no points will be assigned to a violator’s license, the chief said. The first time, after the initial first month the system is operational, someone is caught by the system and cited the fine will be $75. All subsequent fines for that individual will be $125.

The company pays for these systems and makes their funds from a portion of the fines collected. The city will also get a portion of those fines. If vehicle owners wish to dispute the citations, Maynard said that they can do so with the company or in civil court.  If someone who has been cited chooses to ignore the citation and makes no attempt to pay the debt or attend a court hearing, then the company notifies the tag office where the vehicle is registered and that registration will not be able to be renewed until the debt is settled. 

Jefferson County School Superintendent Dr. Sam Dasher said that he has recently spoken with Wrens Mayor Johnny Rabun about the RedSpeed system. 

“It sounds like a good idea and we can certainly see the benefit of having it in front of all schools everywhere,” Dasher said. “In terms of a safety tool it is awesome and anything we can do to keep our students and staff safer is a great thing.” 

All schools in Jefferson County work with local law enforcement agencies, both city police departments and the Sheriff’s Office, to monitor and control traffic around their campuses.