Starting today October 19th, the new safety cameras installed near K-8 STEM & Arbor Heights Elementary, on Delridge Way SW from SW Juneau St to 22nd Ave SW this fall will stop issuing warnings and start issuing $234 tickets to people driving above the school zone speed limit of 20 MPH.

The school zone speed limit is 20 MPH for good reason – a person walking hit by a person driving 20 MPH or slower is likely to survive, but the likelihood of surviving a crash decreases significantly the faster the person is driving. Further, elementary school kids haven’t developed the cognitive ability to accurately judge how fast a person is driving or how quickly a person can stop their car. Traffic collisions are the number one cause of death for 5 to 24 year olds nationally.

The 20 MPH speed limit is in effect when the yellow beacons next to the speed limit sign are flashing. The safety cameras are only active when the beacons are flashing.

The school zone safety cameras are part of SDOT’s Safe Routes to School program, which aims to make it easier and safer for students to walk and bike. Safe Routes to School is one of Seattle’s Vision Zero initiatives, a program to end fatalities and serious injuries on our streets by 2030.

The new safety cameras were installed this fall in these six school zones:

Northgate Elementary School, on 1st Ave NE from N 120th St to N 117th St
Montlake Elementary School, on 24th Ave E from E Calhoun St to E Lynn St
Bailey Gatzert Elementary School, on Boren Ave from E Yesler Way to S Main St
Mercer Middle School, on 15th Ave S/S Columbian Way from S Nevada St to S Snoqualmie St
K-8 STEM & Arbor Heights Elementaries, on Delridge Way SW from SW Juneau St to 22nd Ave SW
Rainier View Elementary, on Beacon Ave S from S Moore St to 56th Ave S