# I Pit School Zone Speed Limits! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 22, 2009, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054 "2009-09-22T06:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/21 "2009-09-22T18:15:18Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > **School Zone: Speed Limit 15 MPH When Children Present** > > Now that is a sign that makes sense! “Sorry, officer, but there is only one child present, and the sign is plural.” “Sorry, officer, these students are all high school seniors over age 18, so there are no children present.” ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/22 "2009-09-22T19:11:25Z")
is the OP pitting: a) the idea of school zone speed limits; b) the execution of school zone speed limits; or, c) the location of a particular school zone speed limit? regardless of the answer, my response is to shut up and do what you’re told while enjoying the privilege of operating a motor vehicle, as licensed by your state. if it’s ©, I would additionally invite you to contact your local government to express your opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/23 "2009-09-22T19:13:36Z")
Cops don’t enforce school/playground zones here, which is why I get tailgated through them every day. We have a _serious_ problem here with lack of enforcement of traffic laws - this city thinks that huge fines is better than any actual enforcement. I’m actually looking forward to the day when all enforcement is electronic - I won’t be the one weirdo who is following the rules of the road then. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/24 "2009-09-22T19:42:28Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Cops don’t enforce school/playground zones here, which is why I get tailgated through them every day. We have a _serious_ problem here with lack of enforcement of traffic laws - this city thinks that huge fines is better than any actual enforcement. I’m actually looking forward to the day when all enforcement is electronic - I won’t be the one weirdo who is following the rules of the road then. They certainly do enforce, especially if you call 311 and complain about people speeding through zones in your neighborhood. I see them all the time, but most often in the middle of the day, so if you work full time, you might not see them. I really, really don’t see the big deal about having to slow down. For goodness sake, it’s less then a minute of your time! I know none of you are so important that you need to not be hindered by slowing down a bit in order to possibly prevent a child from being hit. To add, these zones generally have crosswalks, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve noticed that pedestrians are becoming entitled assholes who don’t bother waiting for traffic to come to a stop. It’s easier for me to hit the brakes and safely come to a stop at 30 km/hr then at 60 km/hr. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/25 "2009-09-22T19:48:43Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > _snicker_ > > OP, what the fuck? You’re bitching and moaning about having to slow down for THREE WHOLE BLOCKS? > > Can’t you find something, you know, important to whine about? This. Three whole blocks? Wow, what a tough life. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/26 "2009-09-22T20:45:28Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > First of all, I am not stupid. Obviously, if I see a bunch of kids in an area, I slow down to a crawl - even in areas that are not school zones and don’t have signs. > > What pisses me off, at least here in Las Vegas, are those flashing yellow lights demanding that you do not exceed 15 MPH as school is out and children are about. This wouldn’t be a bad thing except you never see a fuckin’ kid anywhere. None. Not even a single child in sight for miles. However, everyone is forced to drive at a crawl for three blocks. And police will troll that area like vultures hovering over a dead bison. People have been pulled over for driving 16 MPH - and fines for “speeding” in a school zone are extra high! > > In other school zones, without the obnoxious blinking lights, there are signs that say you cannot exceed 15 MPH between the hours of \_\_\_ to \_\_\_ (depending on the school). Again, not a bad idea except it is the same thing - nary a student, kid or pedestrian for miles! Still, godforbid you zip up to 16 MPH or the the police will pounce. To make matters even more bizarre, those signs are legally in effect even on school holidays. > > There is only ONE single school in the entire area around here that has a sign that shows any intelligence whatsoever: > > **School Zone: Speed Limit 15 MPH When Children Present** > > Now that is a sign that makes sense! > > People who would drive fast in a school area, with hundreds of kids crossing the streets and waiting for mom or dad to pick them up - they deserve to be fined. > > I am aware that not every driver is like me - some perhaps need a sign that tell them to slow down when kids are present, or when old ladies are crossing the street, or when a woman is pushing a baby carriage or when you see a puppy roaming down the street; but if you are going to put a sign warning people to slow down because kids are in the area - at least make sure there actually are some kids in the area! The problem is that a friend of mine was fined/ticketed for being under the speed limit but over the school zone speed limit ON A SATURDAY! He took it to court and the judge was unsympathetic…there COULD have been kids around. Cost him a pretty penny. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/27 "2009-09-22T20:49:32Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > First of all, I am not stupid. Obviously, if I see a bunch of kids in an area, I slow down to a crawl - I think they’re trying to protect the kids you DON’T see. The ones that that run out into the street from between parked cars type. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/28 "2009-09-23T00:52:50Z")
Ooooh, I have something to put on my wish list! If there’s only a block between two school zones, just keep the school zone running between them. I went down a major street in a part of town I’m unfamiliar with so I’d hit the end of a school zone, go back to regular speed, and in a block or two I’d hit another school zone! Gah! ---
**Author:** ![starwarsfreek42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@starwarsfreek42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starwarsfreek42)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/29 "2009-09-23T04:08:52Z")
I too hate school zones with a passion. Really. But you know what? I just don’t drive through them, and my day is saved. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/30 "2009-09-23T04:16:04Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > If a school zone speed limit saves _one_ single, solitary child from being run over it’s completely worth the sacrifice of you —or others of a similar mindset— being inconvenienced for 45 seconds. > > Here’s an idea: take a different route or leave earlier. Yes, of course. Why don’t they think of the children? ---
**Author:** ![Iridescent\_Orb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@Iridescent\_Orb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iridescent_Orb)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/31 "2009-09-23T07:58:46Z")
School zone speed limits pervert natural selection. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/32 "2009-09-23T08:33:53Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I can see where the OP is coming from, actually. I’m happy to slow down to 40km/h outside primary schools, but really, by high school level kids should know not to do dumb shit like walk blithely into traffic or run across the road without looking. Fair point. In addition we’ve recently had a media hungry parent calling for the 40kmh school zones to be extended to apply around pre-schools and childcare centres, which is ridiculous. Any child young enough to be going to pre-school or childcare should be in the care and control of a responsible adult, not walking to pre-school/childcare on his own. And childcare centres open at 6:00am and often don’t close until 7:00 pm. Drivers have enough distractions without having to look all around them to see if they might happen to be within 50m of a pre-school. ---
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/33 "2009-09-23T14:02:29Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > As an anti-anecdote to the OP … I go through a 15mph zone to and from work every day. There are kids all over the friggin’ place. Even if the zone wasn’t in place, I’d have to slow down just to avoid them. > > Count me in favor of 15mph zones. Especially for the entertainment of watching the speeders being pulled over because they don’t know that there’s a cop sitting in a hidden drive way in the middle of the zone pretty much every day fishing for tickets. Ah, schadenfreude, how I love you. I live opposite a school zone myself. It’s definitely entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/34 "2009-09-23T14:11:57Z")
I think the Iridescent Orb alluded to this line of thought, but the slower speeds are posted for the benefit of the pedophiles. It’s tough to get your wank on when you’re oogling a 7 year old and blazing through the area at 20-35 mph. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/35 "2009-09-23T19:40:36Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > If a school zone speed limit saves _one_ single, solitary child from being run over it’s completely worth the sacrifice of you —or others of a similar mindset— being inconvenienced for 45 seconds. > > Here’s an idea: take a different route or leave earlier. You know, shouting “DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN” is itself a pittable offense around here. Why should children be taught that traffic itself has to slow down just for them? Why not teach them to cross at the lights like adults have to? And you aren’t inconvenienced for only 45 seconds. When the entire 55 mph traffic has to slow down to 15 mph, it influences the entire road for quite a long time. That said, I really don’t care about them, myself. I’m smart enough to always take the quickest way from A to B if I’m in a hurry. And, when school is in session, that is not through the school zone. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/36 "2009-09-23T21:23:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > When the entire 55 mph traffic has to slow down to 15 mph, it influences the entire road for quite a long time. There are school zones on the highway? ---
**Author:** ![Iridescent\_Orb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@Iridescent\_Orb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iridescent_Orb)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/37 "2009-09-24T00:42:33Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I think the Iridescent Orb alluded to this line of thought, but the slower speeds are posted for the benefit of the pedophiles. It’s tough to get your wank on when you’re oogling a 7 year old and blazing through the area at 20-35 mph. It appears as if my use of the word “pervert” has itself been perverted… PS - Very funny post **Inigo Montoya** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/38 "2009-09-24T02:01:16Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > If a school zone speed limit saves _one_ single, solitary child from being run over it’s completely worth the sacrifice of you —or others of a similar mindset— being inconvenienced for 45 seconds. > > Here’s an idea: take a different route or leave earlier. I’m going to start passing your kid PETA flyers. If it saves just ONE animal from being eaten, it’s worth it. :dubious: [sub]FWIW, I don’t get the outrage over school-zones, at least time-limited ones. Just the whole, “THINK OF THE CHILDREN” bullshit.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/39 "2009-09-24T02:36:39Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > There are school zones on the highway? Depending on your jurisdiction, yes. I pass about six separate schools in my daily commute , and while they are highways( not freeways or expressways) they bisect towns and villages. When I was growing up and going to grade school, (1-8), the school was in an old suburb of Toronto, just off Bathurst for those that know the city, and the only difference in speed was in the suburb itself, a three block zone would be impractical at that location, and the same in the western suburbs in etobicoke when we moved there. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054/40 "2009-09-24T04:33:30Z")
Ride a motorcycle, then bitch about the arbitrary laws thrown around. (spewed, not thought out completely. God love Sam Phillips. The one without the beard.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-school-zone-speed-limits/511054.md?page=3)