Drive with a lead foot? Slow down through school zones

TRI-CITIES, Wash. -- Accidents are the main reason police are keeping a close eye on local school zones.

Alas, parents and kids can agree on something. Too often enough, both parents and kids step into danger on the way to school.

"I think that there's people crossing and that if they crash into people, it's a sad story," says Alexis Gonzalez, a 6th grader from Pasco.

No matter how many signs, how many lights, and how many police officers there are, plenty of drivers are still cruising through these speed zones and putting families at risk.

"I don't want to lose my brother," Gonzales tells KEPR.

To keep your kids safe, local police have beefed up patrols through school zones this year. The result is a staggering increase of tickets given to speeders.

So far this school year, the number of school zone tickets has doubled in both Richland and Kennewick. It's gone down in Pasco, but overall, many more people are feeling the effects of driving with a lead foot.

A ticket for speeding through a school zone is double a typical speeding ticket, costing drivers upwards of $250.

Despite the crackdown, police tell Action News there's still no shortage of people who speed through local school zones. Sometimes a ticket is the only option against possible tragedy on our roads.