Implementation of an automated traffic enforcement safety device program to be put in place to increase childrenÂ’s safety.
 (Temple, GA, February 22, 2021) – The Temple Police Department announces the start of its school zone safety and automated traffic enforcement program for the Providence Elementary, Temple Middle, and Temple High School zones located on Sage Street and Rainey Road. The goal is to reduce excessive speeding in the school zones.
Speed studies were conducted during school hours for a five-day period. These studies revealed that 13,128 vehicles traveled through the school zones and 1,675 were speeding at 11 MPH and above. If we used this data to estimate monthly violations, it could have exceeded 6,700 speeding vehicles.  In 2019, 1,491 people died on Georgia’s roads. These deaths could have been prevented by practicing safe driving behaviors, including driving within the posted speed limit.
The enforcement will begin on February 22, 2021 with a 30-day warning period. Vehicles traveling 11MPH and above while children are present will receive warning citations in the mail. These warnings will carry no fine, just a warning to travel slower in the school zones. After the 30-day warning period, owners of speeding vehicles caught traveling 11MPH and above the speed limit in the school zone while children are present will receive speeding citations in the mail. State law set the fine at $75.00 plus a $25.00 processing fee. Second and subsequent offenses will be $125.00 + $25.00 processing fee. If the fine goes unpaid, state law indicates that vehicle owners will be unable to renew their vehicle registration or transfer the title until the fine is satisfied. The citations are considered civil violations, much like tollway, or handicap parking violations, and will not affect the driver’s license, or insurance.  Owners that wish to contest the citations will have the right to do so in the court of jurisdiction before a Judge.
Four key elements will be included for program implementation: Speed studies, Public Information, Education, & Enforcement (PI&E). Parents can expect to see brochures from the police department and school system as education tools regarding the dangers of speeding in school zones. Other measures may incorporate information included in utility bills, social media, and public service announcements (PSA). Speed studies will be conducted at least four times during the first year to measure the positive impacts of the program. It is important to inform the public, not only about the existence of the program, but the reasons and results.
