Speeding in Colorado school or work zones could cost you

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Colorado State Patrol is reminding Coloradans to slow down and be mindful in school and construction zones.

According to a 2021 State Patrol report, El Paso County leads the state with the fastest speeds in slow zones. In the state, there have been 10,000 people cited for speeding in school or construction zones throughout the state in a three-year period.

The top five counties with the largest quantity of speeding charges were:

1. El Paso

2. Douglas

3. Jefferson

4. Weld

5. Eagle

“There’s just something in us that when a kid gets hurt, it’s worse than anything else. And we really do hate to see that,” Master Trooper Gary Cutler said. “I have had crashes where I have had kids involved, and those still stay in my mind, and we are talking decades.”

In the state of Colorado, the penalties for speed in slow zones are doubled. Driving 10 to 15 over the speed limit could cost you four points on your license.

Distracted driving, following too closely, and not yielding to the right of way all make crashes more predominant.

Deb Tibbitt, a teacher at Carmel Community School, says getting the kids home safely at the end of the day makes her day. While she has never witnessed any dangerous moments at school dismissal, she wants drivers to be aware of their surroundings- especially in school zones.

“Everyone is in a hurry. Everyone wants to get somewhere,” Deb Tibbitt said. “We are all just as important as anyone else, but just be careful.”

Master Trooper emphasized that kids are less familiar with road safety and that, as adults, we are responsible, “So if you know that you are going to be going through there [school zone] and 20 miles an hour is just too slow for you... you need to be going somewhere else because we need to keep these areas safe for these kids.”

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