Posted: August 20, 2008

Speeding violators whiz through marked school zones like this one you see behind me, but if they speed through these signs during certain hours they're going to see police light in their rear-view mirrors.

This is not what you want to see driving behind you; but if you're speeding through a marked school zone officials say there is no excuse.

"They're marked with deliminators in the streets, they're marked with flashing signs at both ends, some are even marked with signs that tell you your speed," said Sgt. Bob Pratt, Edmond Police Dept.

On this street, the posted speed limit is 25 miles an hour, but that's not the speed this officer is seeing.

"Minimum 35, most of them around 40," said Jimmy Gwartney, Edmond Police Investigator.

The Edmond Police Department was awarded a grant to help with this issue, so they had ten officers working overtime to patrol the school zones. When a violator got caught speeding the officer had some eye-opening advice.

"Slow down a little bit, pay more attention to the speed as well as the roadways. You never know if a kid is going to run out in front of you, i don't want to have to tell any parent that their kid was injured in a crash," said Gwartney.

Officials warn that even the smallest of mistakes could be the difference between life and death when there are so many kids around.

"If you run over a pedestrian or have a bad crash in a school zone, it could change your life forever, whether it's your fault or not," said Sgt. Pratt.