Slow down!

If a child is struck by a vehicle traveling 40 mph, there is a 70 percent chance that a fatality will occur, but if the vehicle’s speed is 30 mph, there is an 80 percent chance the child will survive, according to state officials.
Such data prompted the State Legislature to pass a law enabling Nassau and Suffolk counties to install cameras in school zones in a pilot program to help reduce speeds and protect children. Gov. Andrew Cuomo visited Bethpage High School on June 25 to sign the bill into law. It will take effect on July 25.
Each school district may install one camera, meaning there would be a total of 56 in Nassau County, and 69 in Suffolk.
“A school safety report indicates 200 motorists per hour exceeded the posted speed limit by 25 mph,” Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said at a press conference that accompanied the signing. “I thank Governor Cuomo for approving this pilot program, as it protects our children and serves as an important message to motorists to exercise care in our school zones.”
Officials said that using speed cameras in school zones is a supplement to the police presence on the streets to catch violators and prevent speed-related accidents. The cameras will be active during school hours.

“New York state will not tolerate drivers who exercise reckless behavior and put other people at risk — especially around our schools,” Cuomo said. “This should send a message to all drivers: slow down and obey the speed limit, especially when passing a school.”
Nassau and Suffolk counties will be responsible for purchasing and installing the cameras.

Districts target speed zones
For its camera, the Lawrence School District has narrowed down its site selection to Peninsula Boulevard and Rockaway Turnpike, by the high school; Burnside Avenue, near the Number Two School; along Broadway, near the middle school; or the Nassau Expressway. Superintendent Gary Schall said that a “thorough assessment” would be needed before a location is chosen.
“We recognize a need in several locations,” Schall said. “We are actually closing the Lawrence High School campus next year during lunch. There will be several benefits to doing so, and one of them is that, in part, it will address a traffic concern.”
That concern revolves around students — as motorists or pedestrians — who are involved in accidents due to the volume and speed of the traffic on Peninsula Boulevard. But the campus will not be closed to all: Seniors in “good academic standing” and faculty will be permitted to leave campus for lunch, Schall said. He also said he foresees a decrease in student tardiness and an increased focus on school, with supervised activities for students during lunch.
For the past several years, Hewlett-Woodmere has tried to address speeding on Broadway, near the Hewlett Elementary School, by positioning speed monitors in each direction so motorists can see how fast they are driving. “If you observe driver behavior, these devices are not always an effective deterrent,” said Dr. Peter Weber, the district’s superintendent of business.
To improve safety at the elementary school, a prime potential location for a speed camera, the district restricted access to the main entrance during arrival and dismissal, Weber said, and redirected buses and cars to a side street. He also said that a lack of signage along Broadway, closest to Hewlett High School, is another safety concern.
The district, Weber said, hopes cameras do not replace crossing guards. “Success [of the speed camera program] should not be measured by the amount of revenue generated …,” he said, “but by whether drivers learn to slow down and be vigilant as they travel past school buildings and the surrounding streets as students arrive and return home each day.”
Violations would be issued by the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency. Penalties may not exceed $50 per violation, but an a additional $25 could be imposed for failure to respond to each violation within a specific time period. “Perhaps the penalties associated with the cameras would be an additional incentive to obey the posted limits during the school day,” said Scott McInnes, president of Hewlett-Woodmere’s Board of Education.
Speed camera violations are equivalent to parking tickets, and are assessed against the car’s owner, not the driver. Failure to pay three or more speed camera violations within an 18-month period could result in suspension or non-renewal of a vehicle’s registration.

Have an opinion about school speed-zone cameras? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.