Nichole Y. Shafer
Guest Columnist
This time of year, most families with minor children are starting to plan for school to start back up. Families are wrapping up their summer vacations and are starting to think about getting their school supplies.
In my community and a lot of neighboring communities, kids tend to drive to school with a parent and get dropped off, or kids will walk to school. Both of these scenarios lead us to look into school zone traffic laws. Knowing the law for school zones is especially important since law enforcement tends to be out enforcing the lower speed limit and laws of school zones as we approach the start of the new school year.
Ohio law defines a “school zone” as the portion of a street or highway that is in front of a school that is encompassed by projecting the school property lines to the street or highway.
The biggest question many ask about school zones is, “When do I need to slow down?” The actual times you are to slow down vary by the school. This is because Ohio law states you must slow down in a school zone during school recess and while children are going to or leaving school during the opening or closing hours. In other words, you should slow down when school is in session.
Additionally, Ohio law does not specifically state hours that one must slow down in a school zone, which makes it even more important that you slow down while school is in session, especially if you do not know a school’s schedule.
Ohio law mandates that the reduced speed in a school zone be 20 mph. Oftentimes school zones are marked with warning signs, which may include flashing lights, and speed bumps. However, the school signs are not required by Ohio law to have flashing lights on them or to post the hours of reduced speeds. This means you are still required to slow down in school zones that do not have yellow flashing lights. If you do not slow down, you are risking law enforcement stopping you.
It is well known that speeding can result in law enforcement pulling you over. But speeding in a school zone has harsher penalties than speeding in other areas. If you drive 35 mph or faster in a school zone, it is automatically a fourth-degree misdemeanor. Plus, a speed of 35 mph in a school zone that is 20 mph is an automatic court appearance that will come with a heavy fine and usually points on your license.
Particularly in the beginning of the school year, we have young kids who are excited to be back in school, and those kids might forget to look both ways when crossing streets. So, keep our kids safe as the new school year approaches, and watch out for school zone signs. And reduce your speed accordingly.
Nichole Y. Shafer is an Ohio-licensed attorney at Schroeder Law LTD in Putnam County. She limits her practice to business, real estate, estate planning and agriculture issues in northwest Ohio. She can be reached at [email protected] or at 419-659-2058. This article is not intended to serve as legal advice, and specific advice should be sought from the licensed attorney of your choice based upon the specific facts and circumstances that you face.
