There’s A School Zone in Filer–You’re Going To Kill Someone

This may come as a shock to some of you, but the stretch of Highway 30 through Filer is a school zone and the posted speed limit--on signs with big flashing yellow lights--is 25 miles per hour. Why do I bring this up? Because every morning, without fail, I am passed by drivers exceeding the speed limit there. Through a crosswalk. In a school zone.

This infuriates me. Not only are these terrible drivers speeding, this time of year it's hard to see with the rising sun, and it's a school zone! Do they not understand that these are our children on the crosswalk and at the school?

The City of Filer has done a lot to help. The crosswalk is well marked and bright, numerous signs are posted well in advance, and I've noted regular patrols of law enforcement in the school zone on a pretty regular basis. But they can't catch all the speeders, and it's a sad fact that there are more speeders every morning than those obeying the law and watching for kids.

What can we do? This plea has become an old song and dance for me. Every year when school starts up I ask drivers to slow down through Filer and it falls on deaf ears. Do we need increased speeding fines? I don't think so. Making an example of one only feeds the "I got away with it" mentality. Do we shock drivers?

YOU'RE GOING TO KILL A CHILD UNLESS YOU SLOW DOWN.

According to Idaho Transportation Department statistics there were 39 vehicle related fatalities last year, and 3 of those were pedestrians. And that's just in the Twin Falls district. Statewide the number of fatalities jumps to 209 and 10 pedestrians.

I would personally like to see a traffic camera installed in front of the school that automatically snaps pics of speeding vehicles and issues a ticket, but I can't speak to the expense of such a system, or the manpower to operate it.

Here's all we can do: remember that these are our kids in those schools and as parents and adults we have the responsibility to keep them safe and healthy, even if they are not our own. Please, slow down in posted school zones in the Magic Valley.