On Monday, the Gwinnett County Police Department will activate the first of four planned school zone speed detection cameras.
The cameras are a part of the department's School Zone Safety Program, which is intended to help lower pedestrian deaths in Gwinnett County. According to a press statement from the department, there have been eight pedestrian deaths in Gwinnett County this year.
The first camera will activate at Duncan Creek Elementary School in Hoschton. Signs have been installed notifying drivers of the camera's activation. The camera will flag a violation and send it to an officer for confirmation. In turn, the officer will send the violator either a warning or ticket via mail.
For the first 30 days of the camera's operation, violators will only receive warnings. Following the 30-day period, a violator will receive a $75 ticket for the first offense and $125 for each subsequent offense. Mailed tickets will include detailed instructions on how to pay the fine.
The violations are considered civil in nature, therefore the tickets will not result in points being added to a driver's license. However, if the violation is not resolved, the vehicle's registration will be suspended and title transfer will be blocked.
In addition to the camera at Duncan Creek Elementary, three cameras are scheduled for installation at Anderson-Livsey Elementary in Snellville, Graves Elementary in Norcross and Lanier High School in Sugar Hill. These cameras will be installed by early next year and will have the same 30-day warning period as the Duncan Creek Elementary camera. Additional cameras may be added at more schools at a later date.
Drivers are encouraged to be mindful of reduced speeds around schools at certain times during the day, such as when school starts and ends. The cameras are set to issue violations beginning one hour before the start of school and one hour following the end of the school day. The cameras will issue violations while school is in session, as well.
