SPEEDING IN SCHOOL ZONES
Montgomery County ranks first in state for citations
HARRISBURG » Montgomery County ranked first among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties in the number of speeding citations issued to drivers in school zones from 2016 to 2020, according to statistics compiled by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
During the five-year period, a total of 4,998 citations were issued for speeding in school zones in Montgomery County, representing 27.62% of the total number of such citations issued statewide during that period. Statewide, a total of 18,093 citations were issued for speeding in school zones, according to the AOPC data.
Specifically, the number of citations issued for speeding in school zones in the county during the period included: 621 in 2016; 790 in 2017; 1,012 in 2018; 1,834 in 2019; and 741 in 2020.
Allegheny County, with a total of 2,483 speeding citations issued from 2016 to 2020, ranked second in the state for the highest number of such citations, or about 13.72% of the total statewide.
Bucks County ranked third in the state with 2,313 citations issued during the five-year period, or about 12.78% of the statewide total. Delaware County ranked fourth in the state with 1,413 citations issued, or about 7.81% of the statewide total. Rounding out the top five states was Northampton County, with 1,014 citations issued from 2016 and 2020, or
about 5.6% of the statewide total.
Other counties in Southeast Pennsylvania recorded the following number of school zone speeding citations issued during the five-year period: Chester (640); Berks (542); and Lehigh (253).
According to state law, when passing through a school zone, no person shall drive a vehicle at a greater speed than 15 mph.
The AOPC highlights the work of the courts with data and statistics obtained through the judiciary’s case management systems, interactive dashboards and other research.
The AOPC compiles the data but does not interpret it.
Meanwhile, Montgomery County ranked second among the state’s 67 counties in the number of citations issued for overtaking or passing a school bus while it was stopped with its red signal lights flashing, according to the AOPC data.
Specifically, there were a total of 1,263 citations issued for overtaking or passing a school bus in the county between 2016 and 2020, representing about 12.31% of the statewide total. A total of 10,264 such citations were filed statewide from 2016 to 2020, according to the AOPC data.
With a total of 1,904 citations issued for overtaking or passing a school bus during the five-year period, Allegheny County ranked first in the state, or about 18.55% of the statewide total.
Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties, respectively, rounded out the top five counties in the
state with the highest number of citations issued for overtaking a school bus between 2016 and 2020: Bucks (756); Chester (676); and Delaware (634).
Under state law, drivers of a vehicle shall stop at least 10 feet before reaching a school bus when the red signal lights are flashing and the side stop signal arms are activated.
During the last five years, a total of 28,357 drivers were cited for either speeding in school zones or illegally passing a school bus in Pennsylvania.
According to the statewide data, 24% of drivers cited for both violations were between the ages of 20 and 29 and 17% were between the ages of 40 and 49.
The AOPC statistics show that there was a 62% decrease in total school zone traffic violations from 2019 to 2020, a period that encompasses the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, there were 7,677 drivers cited statewide for either speeding in school zones or illegally passing a school bus, compared to 2,927 in 2020.