CORRECTION: A previous version of this story erroneously stated that drivers would be ticketed outside of school hours.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Since November, the City of Savannah has raked in more than $500,000 from drivers speeding through school zones.
“First of all, no one wants to budget for a ticket,” driver Amber Epperson said.
The cameras are spread across 12 schools in Savannah. In those seven months – they have caught nearly 36,000 drivers.
One hour before a school day begins and one hour after classes end, you could get a ticket if you’re going exceeding 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. The cameras will clock their speed, take a picture of their license plate and send them a bill through the mail.
The goal is to reduce speed and keep children safe. The Savannah Police Department (SPD) said since the cameras were installed, speeding has dropped by 82% on average in the school zones.
The two school zones with the most offenders are A.B. Williams Elementary and Savannah Classical Academy.
The first ticket will cost drivers $100 and any after that will set drivers back $150. That money is then split three ways.
Sixty percent of the money goes to SPD, 35% goes to the company that installed the cameras and 5% goes to the board of education. The cameras were installed at no cost to the taxpayers, so that 35% goes back to the company to recoup their investment.
“I do believe that maybe a little bit more percentage should be going to the schools because we are ticketing through school zones,” said Kaia (who didn’t want to give her last name) while pushing her 9-month-old baby in a swing set. “I just think it should go back to the kids.”