Every school zone in the city of Dayton will soon have traffic cameras monitoring for speed and red light violations.
The city currently has fixed speed cameras in 12 school zones. Dayton Police Sgt. Gordon Cairns said at a news conference Wednesday that it will increase that to 32 school zones.
"Every school day, thousands of children walk, ride bicycles, and get on and off school buses throughout the city of Dayton," Cairns said. "Those children deserve to travel to and from school safely. Unfortunately, speeding and red light violations continue to put them at a necessary risk."
Dayton police didn't say when the cameras would be installed and operational.
Officers will continue to pull over drivers and enforce traffic violations. But Cairns said they can’t be at every intersection all the time.
Speeding is the No. 1 cause of crashes, he said.
The goal of the program isn't to make money, Cairns said, and the cameras aren't hidden. School zones are labeled with signs and flashing lights.
Drivers caught by the cameras receive $85 civil violations, less than the nearly $200 a speeding ticket written by an officer costs. Because it’s a civil fine, no points are issued on their license.
"So our goal, if a driver slows down before entering a school zone, if a driver decides not to run a red light, if a child makes it safely across the street, if a parent feels safer allowing their child to walk to school, then this program has accomplished exactly what it is designed to do," he said.