Speed Cameras In School Zones To Begin In Prince William County

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Enforcement of speeding violations in select school zones is starting in Prince William County.

The school zone speed program will start in several school zones — Route 15 near Battlefield High School, Old Bridge Road near Woodbridge High School and Old Bridge Elementary School, Benita Fitzgerald Drive near Fitzgerald Elementary School and Kettle Run Road near Patriot High School and T. Clay Wood Elementary School. Additional school zones will have speed cameras introduced in the coming months.

A school zone speeding violation would happen if a driver is going 11 or more miles per hour over the posted speed limit in an active school zone. School zones are active during school arrivals and dismissals when school zone lights are flashing. A violation will result in a $100 citation but won't affect driver records, demerit points or insurance premiums.

A 30-day warning period began Monday, Jan. 29. Enforcement with citations will begin on March 5. Variable message boards will be placed at each school zone at least a week before activation. Warnings and citations will be sent by mail to the registered vehicle owner with the vehicle's recorded speed, time and date of the violation, and an image of the vehicle rear. Citations may be contested in court.

"State code prohibits us from recording any personal identifying information," said Richard Weinmann, traffic safety engineering manager at the Prince William Department of Transportation. "So, all the images are taken from the rear so we can’t see who was driving the vehicle. All we can see is that a vehicle with this license plate went through this school zone at this speed."

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors authorized the automated speed limit enforcement pilot program in 2023 with a focus on active school zones, highway work zones and red lights. The board had asked for a study on automated traffic enforcement in 2022, as the county has experienced increasing crashes with severe injuries and fatalities since 2020.

Virginia legislation allowing localities to operate speed cameras in active school zones and highway work zones was approved in 2020. Other Northern Virginia localities like Fairfax County and City of Manassas have adopted school zone speed camera programs.

Red light enforcement cameras will likely be introduced later in 2024, according to the county government. Red light camera enforcement in localities has been allowed since 2007 state legislation.

The first school zones were chosen for speed cameras to represent "varying schools and road conditions," according to the county government.

"We have before data, and we will collect data afterwards to compare and see if speed has decreased in these school zones," said Weinmann.

More information about the speed cameras and other automated traffic enforcement can be found at pwcva.gov/SafetyCameras.