MEMPHIS, Tenn. — School is about to be over for most Mid-South students, but that hasn’t seemed to slow down drivers who speed near those schools.
A News Channel 3 Investigation revealed exactly which school zones drivers are speeding through, after we learned police are ramping up efforts to make school zones safer, at the request of parents and school neighbors.
As WREG’s Zaneta Lowe learned it’s easy to see why police have written so many speeding tickets near Caldwell-Guthrie Elementary School in North Memphis.
Frances Williams said, “They have the signs posted, we just need to obey the law.”
Those signs were placed in several spots along Chelsea.
They clearly read 15 miles per hour.
Yet, even our gun caught drivers going more than double the speed limit.
Williams lives across the street from the school and often picks up her grandchildren.
She said things have been really bad as drivers speed, turning from Morehead onto Chelsea.
“When you park right here, waiting on your kids or whatever, you stand a chance of getting your vehicle hit.”
The News Channel 3 Investigators discovered police issued almost 400 citations over the past six months for speeding in school zones.
At least 65 tickets were issued at the streets bordering Caldwell-Guthrie, most of them at Chelsea and Morehead.
(**Note, we reviewed data from the City of Memphis Traffic Violations Bureau. Some locations were entered with no intersection. For example, those listed under the street name “Chelsea Ave” only, were not included in the 65 count above.**)
Major Eddie Bass of Memphis Police Department’s Traffic Division said they’ve been targeting problem school zones.
“That’s been one of our priorities as well, we’ve been getting complaints on those and we’ve begun to address those complaints.”
Williams noticed MPD’s beefed up patrol, and told us she welcomes more of it.
“I was very, very excited to learn that the police were going to be here at Morehead and Chelsea to at least stop some of it,” added Williams.
If all else fails, Williams said there’s one way speeders can be schooled.
“The only education is going to be to get a ticket!”
WREG also found a lot of tickets issued near streets close to Hawkins Mill Elementary, Wooddale High School and Coleman Elementary.
Police and parents said drivers have been warned and have an entire summer to practice slowing down, so kids will be safe next school year.
A citation for speeding in a school zone requires a mandatory court appearance.
News Channel 3 Investigation: Speeding Ticket Hot Spots
