Hello Lauderhill Family!

I wanted to bring to your attention a recent, sharp rise in complaints of speeding in our school zones.

While driving in school zones, it is important to adhere to all speed limits, avoid reckless actions, and watch crosswalks and sidewalks vigilantly. There are few things — if any — more important than students' safety. When they leave for school, we expect them to return home safely. Unfortunately, some folks out there are willing to drive recklessly through school zones. 

School zones are installed to create an area of traffic safety around schools by severely reducing the speed limit around schools during specific hours of the day to ensure the utmost safety for our students, faculty, and staff. Most school zone hours begin shortly before the school day begins and end shortly after school is dismissed. The speed limit in school zones in Lauderhill is 15 MPH. Zones are clearly designated with signage, flashing lights, and roadway markings.

To avoid serious injuries (or worse), your Lauderhill Police Department is reaching out to educate our residents and visitors about this issue and our commitment to address it by providing a better understanding of school zone safety and how to practice safe driving in school zones!

It’s important to adhere to the speed limit in school zones. For starters, speeding and outright ignoring school zone laws opens the driver up to serious legal repercussions. The driver may be subject to varying degrees of penalties: costly fines, suspension of a driver’s license, and even incarceration.

Whether dropping children off or picking them up, understanding that school zone laws lead to safety can save lives on a daily basis.

Helpful Tips

1. Do Not Pass a Bus from Behind.

It is illegal to pass a school bus from behind, especially one loading and unloading children. Many children lose their lives each year because careless drivers speed past a school bus while students attempt to cross the road.

2. Do Not Block Crosswalks.

When you bring your vehicle to stop, avoid blocking crosswalks at all costs. Students use crosswalks outside of the school daily, and a vehicle blocking the path forces them to move around the vehicle and into the path of oncoming traffic.

3. Reduce your Speed in School Zones.

This cannot be emphasized enough! It is especially important during school zone hours to reduce your speed. Most residential roadways use a 25 MPH or 30 MPH as their standard rate of speed. In a school zone, it is 15 MPH. Do yourself a favor and watch for the warning signs indicating a slower school zone speed limit.

School Zone Traffic Safety Signage

Surely you have noticed an abundance of school zone signage implemented in and around our school zones. These can include:

• School Bus Stop Ahead Signs
• School Speed Limit Signs
• Begin School Zone Signs
• End School Zone Signs
• School Pedestrian Crossing Signs

And of course, you will also see crossing guards. Failure to obey the directions of a crossing guard is the same thing as if you run a stop sign or a red light.

Again, do not speed, especially in residential areas. Pay attention to your surroundings. When we first learned how to drive, we are all taught to keep our eyes on the road and to scan the area ahead and to the sides to avoid injuring a person or causing damage to anything else. Rules such as these help immensely in school zones.

The Lauderhill Police Department, especially our Traffic Enforcement Unit, will be making regular, yet random, checks of all the school zones in our City. Although we would much rather gain compliance through education and information, any violations observed will be enforced.

Remember that we can each do our part to keep our students safe by following all school zone laws.

Until next time,

Chief Constance Stanley