School zones are the absolute last places through which you should ever speed. Children are even more distracted than we are and it’s on us as drivers to stay alert and keep them safe. Over the past year, school zone speed cameras have been installed at several Chesapeake school zones, with more to come. Automated speed enforcement programs have been proven to change driver behavior and enhance road safety, which is exactly what we want here.
While the purpose of this program is to keep pedestrians safe, we want to assure drivers that there are several mechanisms in place to prevent erroneous citations. Once a picture is taken of a potential violation, the information is sent to an actual Chesapeake police officer who double checks the license plate, the time of day, the school zone, etc. Everything goes through human hands before a citation is issued.
Signage warning drivers about photo enforcement must be posted in any area using the cameras and we work to keep the City’s website updated with all the locations that are active. There is also a testing period for new cameras, during which you might see them flashing outside of school zone times (which would not lead to a citation).
The final thing to know is that if you do receive a citation from either a school zone or red light camera, it cannot be paid in-person at any Chesapeake building or through the Treasurer’s office. It must be paid online or by mail, using the information provided on your citation. And while this shouldn’t make you feel like it’s okay to speed through a school zone, automated speed enforcement is only a civil penalty so it won’t add points to your license or report to your insurance.
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Speed Enforcement
Red Light Enforcement