Effingham Co. school zone photo enforcement begins

Posted: Oct 1, 2021 / 06:05 AM EDT

Updated: Oct 1, 2021 / 10:06 AM EDT

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) – The Effingham County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) announced their school zone photo enforcement program will begin on October 1.

According to ECSO, school zone photo enforcement will take place at these locations:

Blandford (McCall Rd)
Marlow (SR 17)
South Effingham ES (Kolic Helmey Rd)
South Effingham MS/HS (SR 30 – Noel C. Conaway Rd)

“These four (schools) will go online October the 1st through October the 29th, that’s freebie time basically is the best way of saying it. After October 29th, that’s when you’ll start getting citations if you’re going above the limit that we’re allowing. It is 10 miles per hour over the posted limit,” said Effingham County Sheriff Jim McDuffie.

Starting October 30th, violators will receive a 100 dollar citation for going 10 miles per hour or over the posted speed limit while school is in session. Following the first offense, that fine will jump up to $150.

“The best thing that we could have is nobody exceeds the speed limit and that there’s no citations issued whatsoever, that is our goal,” said Bob Dallas, former Director of Ga Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “We know this, as pedestrians and students and administrators, crossing guards, this is our most vulnerable population and what we are looking to do is make it the safest place for them to have school, to work, and quite frankly the parents who come there as well.”

The ECSO has been working on getting this program up and running for nearly two and a half years. Officials say they’ve seen an 83% reduction statewide in other areas where the program has taken effect.

“It’s 10 miles per hour that we give with the camera system. Georgia law says running radar, at 1 mile over that posted limit in that school zone, you’re gonna get a citation. With the cameras, we are allowing 10 miles per hour but you never know if that deputy’s gonna be siting down there when the school zone’s going on,” explained Sheriff McDuffie.

65% of revenue generated from program will go directly towards public safety, while 35% will go towards operations.

ECSO says the are planning to add these new locations in the future: