Enhanced Enforcement of Vehicle Speeds in School Zones Approved by FL House and Senate

Update: Legislation that will make it easier for communities to enforce vehicle speed limits in school zones has been signed into law on May 31, having passed the Florida House and Senate on April 28.

That morning, the Orlando Sentinel published a guest commentary by Florida Bicycle Association Executive Director Kelly Morphy explaining why the organization supports the legislation. Read the full commentary as originally submitted below. The bill now goes to the Governor for signing. Thank you for speaking up to help make streets safer for people who bike, walk, and roll, especially the most vulnerable among us: our children.

"In Florida, too many children are at risk of harm from drivers speeding within school zones. In fact, a study by Zendrive in 2018 found that Florida ranked among the worst states in the nation for school-area and school-time traffic safety. Additionally, the state had the highest rate of bicyclist fatalities in 2021, with 7.6 bicyclists killed per one million people, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

At the Florida Bicycle Association, our mission is to improve safety for all people who want or need to ride a bicycle. While we have made progress in the past 25 years, there is much work still to be done throughout the Sunshine State, and we won’t stop until everyone can bicycle safely, whether they’re riding by choice or out of necessity.

Improving roadway safety for people on bicycles requires investing in safer infrastructure, designs, and policies. While most infrastructure changes take time and resources, enforcing speed limits can be an effective way to reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths, and doing so is especially important near schools. That's why we support Senate Bill 588 and House Bill 657, which would allow local governments to use automated speed-detection systems with cameras to enforce school-zone speed limits. We commend Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez and Rep. Traci Koster for their sponsorship of the bills.

Speed limits are critical to public safety on the roads. Lower speeds help prevent crashes and reduce the severity of injuries when crashes do occur. For example, a person hit by a car traveling at 40 mph has little chance of surviving, while someone hit by a car traveling at 20 mph may only suffer minor injuries. Slower roads save lives. That’s why school-zone speed limits are set … low.

Bicycling is a healthy way for children to get physical activity, and for some, it's their primary means of transportation. We must prioritize their safety and make it easier for them to get to and from school by bike.

The proposed legislation aims to prevent speeding in school zones in the first place, through education and outreach, and only cite speeders going more than 10 mph over the school-zone speed limit. The bills also include measures to address due process, privacy, and fees. To help ensure the program is implemented effectively and without adversely affecting the communities that most need safe bicycling access, the Florida Bicycle Association commits to being available as a partner to help state and local agencies include best practices in their implementation plans.

We support the state and local agencies that are taking steps to improve safety for all roadway users through safer designs. And we also believe that prioritizing appropriate vehicle speeds around schools is critical to ensuring the safety of our most vulnerable community members: children. Senate Bill 588 and House Bill 657 would help achieve that goal.

-Kelly Morphy is the executive director of the Florida Bicycle Association, based in Winter Garden, Fla."