School is returning across Southern Oregon, and the change is already showing up on the streets. Crosswalks that sat mostly empty during summer are busy again, yellow buses are making their morning rounds, parents are lining up near campuses and students on foot and bicycles are once again part of the daily commute.
For motorists in Grants Pass and throughout Josephine County, back to school week means getting reacquainted with Oregon’s school zone laws. The rules are straightforward, but the combination of heavier traffic, changing schedules and children moving through busy intersections makes attention behind the wheel especially important.
Oregon Revised Statute 811.111 establishes a 20 mph speed limit in applicable school zones. Exactly when that limit applies depends upon the signs installed at the location. Some school zones use flashing lights to indicate when the reduced speed is in effect, while others are governed by designated school day hours, generally from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on days when school is in session.
Drivers will also encounter signs stating that the 20 mph restriction applies when children are present. Oregon Revised Statute 811.124 defines that language to include children walking in or occupying a crosswalk, waiting at the curb or shoulder near the crossing, or the presence of a traffic patrol member assisting children. The wording on the sign matters, and drivers should follow the conditions posted at each school rather than relying solely on the familiar morning arrival and afternoon dismissal periods.
The fines can turn a hurried trip through a school zone into an expensive one.
Oregon law generally classifies speeding from 1 through 10 mph over the limit as a Class D violation, with a presumptive school zone fine of $225. Traveling 11 through 20 mph over generally falls under Class C, carrying a presumptive school zone fine of $325. Driving 21 through 30 mph over generally becomes a Class B violation with a presumptive school zone fine of $525, while exceeding the limit by more than 30 mph can reach Class A and a presumptive school zone fine of $875.
Those figures are presumptive amounts established under Oregon law. The final disposition of an individual citation depends upon the circumstances and the court, and motorists retain the right to respond to or contest a citation as provided by law.
For drivers cited into Josephine County Circuit Court, traffic school is not available as an alternative. The court does not offer a traffic school program, so motorists should not expect to complete a defensive driving class and have an eligible citation dismissed through that process. Jackson County Circuit Court operates differently, offering traffic school for certain eligible violations based upon the offense, driving history, previous participation and court approval.
School zone driving requires more than periodically glancing at the speedometer. Morning arrival and afternoon dismissal put pedestrians, bicycles, buses, inexperienced teenage drivers and vehicles entering and leaving parking lots into the same relatively small area. Parked vehicles and waiting traffic can also obstruct a driver’s view of a child approaching a crosswalk.
Crossing guards and school traffic patrol members require a driver’s full attention. Motorists must obey their directions and remain prepared for students entering crossings. Passing a vehicle that has stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian can result in a traffic violation, while Oregon’s basic speed rule requires motorists to travel at a speed that is reasonable and prudent for the traffic, visibility, road and other conditions around them.
The opening weeks of school bring thousands of individual routines together at roughly the same time each morning. Parents may be learning a new drop off route, students may be walking to a different campus for the first time, buses are returning to neighborhood stops and teenage drivers may be navigating their first regular trip to school without a parent in the passenger seat. Streets that moved easily in July can look considerably different once classrooms are full again.
A few additional minutes in the morning can make that adjustment much easier. Expect congestion around campuses, keep the phone out of your hands, begin slowing before entering the school zone and watch the sidewalks and crosswalks as carefully as the traffic directly ahead.
Backpacks, buses and busy sidewalks are part of the landscape again in Grants Pass and communities throughout Josephine County. Summer traffic patterns are giving way to the school year, and sharing the road safely begins with recognizing that thousands of local students are once again sharing it too.