Judging by our reader (e-)mail bag, few nuances of traffic law confuse drivers as much as school zones and bus stops. So with most schools starting up this week, we’re devoting an extended column to some of the frequently asked questions on the subject.
Brian Jones, who directs the school safety program at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, was happy to help clarify the law and its local implementation.
Why 20 mph in school zones? That seems awfully slow.
Jones points out that the limit is backed up by hard science.
“The reason the 20 mph limit is so important, especially in elementary schools, is that research has shown that a child has approximately an 80 percent chance of surviving if struck by a car going 20 mph, versus an 80 percent chance of being killed if struck by a car going 27-28 mph,” he writes.
Consider this – school zones are 600 feet long. A driver would save about 6 seconds by traveling through a school zone at 28 miles per hour versus 20 mph. Is that worth a potentially fatal accident?
What’s the penalty for speeding in a school zone?
If you’re caught, you face a fine of $189 to $784, depending on how fast over the limit you’re going. Under state law, it can’t be waived, suspended or reduced.
That’s double the normal fine for speeding – with half the proceeds going into a special state fund that makes safety improvements in school zones.
Who decides where to put school zones? Why do they extend seemingly far away from a school? Where does a school zone end if not posted?
State law (RCW 46.61.440) determines school zones based on the location of school crosswalks. A school zone extends 300 feet on either side of a crosswalk.
In addition, the statute gives cities and counties the ability to extend school and playground zones 300 feet from the border of the school or playground, “… however, the speed zone may only include area consistent with active school or playground use.”
The law allows zones to extend beyond 300 feet from a crosswalk “based on a traffic and engineering investigation.”
How do I know when the school zones are in force? The signs are inconsistent and confusing.
Part of the confusion is that school zones are signed in different ways:
• When flagged.
• When signals are flashing.
• During specified times.
• When children are present.
It’s the last one that seems to perplex drivers most. In case you don’t have a Washington Administrative Code handy in your glove compartment, here’s how it defines “when children are present”: “School children are occupying or walking within the marked crosswalk; or school children are waiting at the curb or on the shoulder of the roadway and are about to cross the roadway by way of the marked crosswalk.”
If a sign says I need to slow down when children are present, does that apply year around, or only when school is in session?
“The ‘when children are present’ always applies, as there may be times when school is not in session that the provisions of the WAC would still apply,” Jones says, such as children walking to use playground equipment.
What about camera enforcement?
Even if you don’t see a traffic officer, you may be getting a ticket in the mail. A growing number of cities are using camera enforcement of school zones, as allowed by state law. Auburn and Lakewood already use it, and Federal Way and Tacoma are adding it this year at selected schools.
The camera-enforced zones must be clearly marked. Violations are processed like a parking ticket and don’t go on your driving record.
When must I stop for a school bus?
You must stop behind a school bus with its lights flashing red and stop sign extended if you are in the same lane or an adjacent lane – either in the same direction or an opposite direction – or if it’s at an intersection you’re approaching. “The lights on school buses can only control two lanes of traffic,” Jones notes. Don’t start again until the signals are turned off and children have left the roadway.
A violation is the same as a school zone violation – doubling of the fine.
When don’t I have to stop for a school bus?
From the state Driver’s Manual: “You are not required to stop for a school bus with red lights flashing when the stopped school bus is traveling in the opposite direction and the roadway:
• Has three or more marked traffic lanes,
• Is separated by a median, or
• Is separated by a physical barrier.”
Got a question about traffic congestion, construction, spending or other transportation issues? Send it to traffic@thenewstribune.com. Include your name, hometown and daytime telephone number. We’ll answer as many as we can. Find an archive of previous answers at www.thenewstribune.com/news/traffic/qa.
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