Reminder: School Zone Speed Cameras Will Issue Citations April 29th
Friday, April 25th, 2025
The initial warning period for speed cameras in two Dalton school zones will end next week, and the system will begin to issue citations on Tuesday, April 29th. The Dalton Police Department began an automated speed enforcement program last month in the school zones for Dalton High School and Roan Street School. The program began with a one-month phase in period where only warnings were issued to speeding drivers.
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The cameras are operational only during the morning and afternoon pick-up/drop-off periods when the school zone speed limits are in effect and school zone speed limit signs are flashing. The cameras only operate on days when schools are in session. In the Dalton High School zone, they are active from 6:31 am-7:30 am and from 2:16 pm-3:15 pm. In the Roan Street School zone, they are active from 7:31 am-8:30 am and from 3:26 pm-4:25 pm. The school zone speed limit in both zones is 30 miles per hour. Beginning April 29th, citations will be issued to motorists driving at 10+ miles per hour over the limit.
Caption: A sign posted near Dalton High School warns drivers that school zone speed limits are now enforced using a camera system
The citations issued using the camera system are civil in nature and carry a $100 fee for the first offense ($75 fine plus a $25 processing charge), but do not come with points against your license or insurance penalties. The second and subsequent violations carry a $150 fee ($125 fine plus a $25 processing) but similarly do not incur points on your license or insurance penalties.
Speed studies conducted in August 2023 in the school zones for Dalton High School and Roan Street Elementary School identified a significant problem with speeding. More than 48,000 vehicles traveled through the school zones in a one-week period, with 7,779 speed violations in a 5-day period. That means more than 16% of the cars in the school zone were speeding, including 417 vehicles (5.36%) traveling more than 21 miles per hour over the speed limit. Statistics provided by AAA show that a child struck by a vehicle traveling 40 MPH, only has a one in 10 chance of survival. However, if the vehicle is traveling at 20 MPH, research suggests that same child has a nine in 10 chance of survival. Speeding is also a primary contributing factor in motor vehicle crashes resulting in personal injury and deaths. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 64% of fatal crashes involving child pedestrians happen on weekdays.
The goal of this program is to increase safety for students, teachers, and parents as well as the driving public traveling in the Dalton High School and Roan Street Elementary School zones. This program combined a public information and education campaign along with a 30-day warning period to encourage people to slow down and change their driving behavior. School zones are clearly marked with posted speed limit signs as well as signs advising motorists that speed limits are enforced with cameras. Zones will also have flashing lights and additional road signs to capture a vehicle’s speed and give advance warning to the driver of the upcoming school zone. Cameras will be used to identify any non-compliant motorists traveling at 10+ MPH over the posted speed limit.
The Dalton Police Department is committed to changing driver behavior, slowing speeders down, and protecting our children. Please drive safely in our school zones and in our community. Working together, we can achieve our goal of ZERO: “Zero crashes, Zero injuries, and Zero endangered lives.”
For more information on the school zone speed camera program, visit daltonga.gov/schoolzone.
