What Happens If I Get a School Zone Speeding Ticket?

Getting a school zone speeding ticket is far from what you would count as a fun experience, especially when you believe you were not at fault. In such instances, the only way out is to contest the speeding ticket.  

This is the only way to protect yourself from paying hefty fines, adding points to your driver’s license, or having insurance premiums increased. Therefore, if you believe that the officials issued you a school zone speeding ticket unfairly, you must do everything to fight it and reduce any fines.  

That said, first you must learn about what school zones are, why they exist and reasons you may receive a possible school zone speeding ticket.  

What are School Zones?  

School zones are areas with restricted speed limits for motorists. These zones ensure the safety of the school-going kids during school hours. You have to understand that children are not well-versed with traffic rules, which makes them prone to traffic hazards anywhere near the roads.  

The only way to prevent an accident is to ask drivers to go slow. This way, you will have ample time to stop if a kid steps on the road.  

Reason to Get a School Zone Speeding Ticket 

Not knowing the traffic rules in a school zone can definitely get you a school zone speeding ticket. In the worst-case scenario, you may end up hurting a child. Therefore, you must always drive slow or within the defined traffic limits.  

Remember, there are speed cameras placed at different locations in a school zone. The moment you break the speed limit rule, the camera takes a snap of your car. In this case, you will receive a ticket via mail. 

Additionally, an on-duty official may also catch you red-handed and issue a school zone speeding ticket. You can easily avoid these incidents by simply looking out for the current school zone speed limits in your area of commute and adhere to them.  

How to Avoid School Zone Speeding Ticket? 

There is no rocket science to avoiding a school zone speeding ticket. All you need is to get on Google and search for school zone speed limits in your area, city, or state. Once you find out these figures, simply memorize them and make sure you follow them religiously.  

However, these speed limits are to protect the children and people on foot in the school zone, you must take extra precautions during certain weather conditions such as rain, snowfall, and fog. These conditions can make it harder for you to see ahead. Therefore, you must drive as slow as possible to avoid any accidents.  

In addition to that, you must always stay vigilant around pedestrians, cyclists, crossing guards, children roaming around, and even stopped school buses. Do this day-in and day-out and you will be golden.  

Fines for School Zone Speeding ticket 

The cost or fines pertaining to school zone speeding tickets vary from state to state. For instance in Florida driving over the speed limit of 1 to 15 mph will result in a fine of up to $100, whereas you will have to pay up to $280 for the same offense in the state of California.  

Therefore, you must check with your local driver’s licensing agency to know the school zone speed limits and fines.  

I Got a School Zone Speeding Ticket – Now What?  

Well, if you made an error or deliberately broke the rules, you have no option but to pay for the offense. However, that is not the only punishment you receive. Along with paying the fine, your insurance premium will increase as well. This is because your car insurance provider will penalize you as a high-risk driver.  

Additionally, a speeding ticket in a school zone may also add a couple of points to your driver’s license record.  

However, if you genuinely believe that you were not at fault and the ticket is unfair, then you can always contest it in court. For this, you will have to appear in court and fight your case to convince the judge that you were not at fault. There are three outcomes to this that are 

• The judge will dismiss your appeal and you will have to pay the fine and bear all of the other consequences of higher insurance premiums and points added to your driving record.  
• The judge will reduce your penalty based on how much you were at fault.  
• The judge will dismiss your ticket and you go scot-free.  

However, you have to make sure that you are honest in presenting the facts. If the court found your statement or misrepresentation on your part, the fines may come with other forms of punishment. Therefore, hiring a professional attorney to state your case is a better option.  

How to Fight Your School Zone Speeding Ticket?  

So – you got unlucky and got a school zone speeding ticket. Well, in this case simply follow these steps.  

• Note down the location where you received the ticket 
• Note down the speed you believe you were going at.  
• Contact the school at the location to find out if the school was in session at the time you received the ticket. If you got the school zone speeding ticket outside of school timing, then you have a chance to win the case.  

• Look out for the school zone markers. Were they adequately marked?  Was there a tree, bush, or other hurdle obstructing the view of the sign? In either of these scenarios, you have a fighting chance to have your ticket dismissed altogether.  
• Last but not least, you can hire a lawyer with expertise in traffic ticket dismissal cases.  

TicketVoid Can Help 

No matter which state you are in, TicketVoid can help connect you with a local lawyer with experience in driving offenses and ticket dismissals cases. However, not only school zone speeding tickets, but we can also offer assistance for track lawyers for the following driving offenses  

• DUI- Driving Under the Influence 

• DWI – Driving While Intoxicated 
• Careless driving 
• License plate violation 
• Other severe traffic violations 

TicketVoid is a free service to find an attorney anywhere in the country. You can be any county or state; you can use this service 24/7 to find an attorney more suited for your traffic ticket or offense.