School traffic laws to be heavily enforced

It's not just the first day of classes in the valley today -- it's also the start of the school zone rules. And area police aren't taking the situation lightly.

Speeding violators will pay double the fine -- from $140 to $280 -- if they are caught driving 11-20 mph over the posted limit in a school zone.

Drivers also need to pay attention to those flashing lights on school buses: The minute the attached stop signs pop out on either side of the buses, motorists best halt or pay a hefty fine.

Metro Police Traffic Lt. Joe Greenwood said the first day back to school went about as smooth as could be hoped for.

"It's busy, but under control," Greenwood said. "We had a lot of children walked to school by their parents, and an equal number of kids taken to school in cars."

Police have no tolerance for violators of the school traffic laws, primarily because children's safety is the ultimate goal. But who gets the ticket?

"Depends on the kind of area," Greenwood said. "It would be foolish to chase down a driver doing one or two miles over when someone else could be going through at 15 miles over while you're writing the ticket. It's the judgment of the officer whether a driver deserves a citation. That doesn't mean we won't stop, but that we'll be picking the most severe violators."

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