So the next time you are driving in a local school zone, remember this school day lesson from Officer Sellers. We’re trying to make sure no kids are put in a bad spot.” It is just a dangerous situation for kids. Every now and then we have someone who may not understand the rules, or think that they’re in too big of a hurry, or think that they’ve got around the bus in time, when in fact they haven’t. So we don’t want anyone to be tied up with that. If you cross a school bus with its arm extended signaling for you to stop and you don’t, that’s actually a misdemeanor. “It’s a little bit amplified in a school zone. Breaking those laws can get you more than just a ticket, you can actually be charged with a crime. Officer Sellers says he wants drivers to understand that with school back in session, he and his fellow officers will be watching, not only for drivers speeding in school zones, but also for those who fail to stop for school buses. “They were driving almost the same speed, but you can only warn someone so many times before you should take action.” He needed something a little more severe,” said Officer Sellers. But the second guy, he already had his warning. “Again, that first girl, she just needed a warning. So he is going to learn his lesson the hard way, with a speeding ticket. Unlike the previous driver who did not have a record, this driver received a written warning from another officer, just a few months ago. So we’re not trying to be jerks or anything like that, but we do need to make sure people are aware of the dangers of driving that fast.” “Kids are leaving those apartments and going to school, and going 47 miles an hour, I mean its excessive okay. It’s pretty obvious that it is a school zone and you are supposed to slow down.”Īs for Officer Sellers, it was back to work, and it didn’t take long for us to catch another driver going more than double the posted school zone speed limit. The lights and signs are not hard to see. “Now whether that sticks or not I’m not entirely sure, but usually people are a little more upset with themselves if they are in a school zone speeding. “Typically if you tell them it’s a school zone they seem a little more upset with themselves,” said Officer Sellers. Hopefully with an understanding that she needs to take school zones more seriously. Since the driver had no record of speeding, Officer Sellers decided to let her off with a warning to slow down, and sent her on her way. We understand that, but, we need to put it into perspective uh the dangers that these kids might be put in if we’re running late, driving recklessly, or just not following the rules of the road.” You know we get in tight spots all the time, we’re running late for work every now and then, we’ve got things we’ve got to do, ah life is busy. What they really want is for drivers to slow down, especially in school zones. Officer Sellers says most officers don’t even want to write tickets. There are all these kids that are crossing, you know, trying to get to school, walking, you got to slow down okay.” (Officer Sellers) “Well your in a school zone, it is 20 miles per hour, its no longer 30, so you’re going 24 miles per hour over the speed limit, okay. (Officer Sellers) “You’re going 44 miles an hour”. This driver’s excuse was one Officer Sellers is all too familiar with. A driver was going 44mph in a 20mph zone, so Officer Sellers hit the lights and made the stop. Once we got on the road, it didn’t take long for us to witness our first speeding violation. Officer Joel Sellers with the Clarksville Police Department was kind enough to take us along for a ride to see how officers are working to keep local kids safe as they go to and from school. “Whenever we start the day, we try to make sure we are a presence on the main roads that have schools.” With the increase in traffic, you can also expect an increase in police presence. Now its time to head back to school, and that means more traffic in local school zones. CLARKSVILLE, IN (August 6, 2021) – August is here and that means the summer fun has come to an end for southern Indiana students.
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