Police Focus In On School Speed Zones After Increase In Violations

More students are back in class which means people need to once again pay attention to school zones.

Broken Arrow police said it's been months since people had to slow down for school zones and they're seeing more people speeding than in the past.

“It’s very dangerous, kids are crossing the streets from school buses to get home. We don’t want to hit them, we want traffic to stop and we want to keep our kids safe," said Officer Chris Walker.

Officer Walker said they're seeing more drivers speeding in school zones. “Maybe traffic is just a little bit lighter so there not ignoring them and they think my kid is at home, everybody’s kid is at home and that’s simply not the case," said Officer Walker.

He said it typically takes drivers in Broken Arrow a few weeks into the school year before they see a decrease in traffic violations in school zones. He said the police department usually does a big push at the beginning of the year.

“We were a little restricted on doing that as much this year, but school is in session kids are using the crosswalks, kids are using the school zones and we need to be watchful of that and school buses," said Officer Walker.

He said not only are people driving too fast, they're driving at even higher speeds than before.

“We believe it’s because it’s a mix of in-person learning and distance learning and people aren’t seeing the kids in there so they’re ignoring the lights," said Officer Walker.

Officer Walker said a ticket for speeding in a school zone could cost you $200, even for just going one mile over the posted limit.