Orange County is the latest locality in Virginia to install school zone speed cameras.
Sheriff Jason Smith presented information in June regarding the creation of a camera-enforced speed deterrent program in the county’s school zones. He said speeding and reckless driving are major problems in the county, noting his office had received complaints from school staff members and parents about folks speeding in the school zones.
Through Altumint, Inc., a Maryland-based company that engineers, manufactures and supports a visual citation process, a speed study was conducted in four school zones within the county. Smith said the study was conducted Oct. 16-19, 2023 in the school zones for Locust Grove Middle School, Locust Grove Primary and Elementary schools, Unionville Elementary School and Lightfoot Elementary School. Over the four days, 446 violations were observed in the LGMS zone, 401 in the LGPS/LGES zone and 224 in the UES zone. Smith said the data for Lightfoot, which is within 1.3 miles of UES, was similar to that of Unionville.
“A solution is speed enforcement cameras,” he said. “This is a force multiplier for us. We can’t be in every school zone, twice a day, every school day.”
The cameras would create a citation for anyone exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph or higher. The citations would be verified by a local deputy and mailed to the registered address of the vehicle owner. The fine for the citation can’t exceed $100 and is a civil penalty which doesn’t affect a driver’s DMV record or insurance.
“We’re not wanting people to get citations,” Smith said. “We’re wanting people to slow down.”
The speed cameras, including equipment and maintenance, are funded through the payment of the violations. No county funding is used. The program also includes increased signage to alert drivers of approaching camera enforced areas.
Supervisors approved the program in mid-June, followed by the signing of the contract with Altumint in July and approved an ordinance amendment allowing the program in December.
The cameras have since been installed and are operational. A 30-day warning period began this week. For 30 days, violators will receive warnings instead of citations to help with the adjustment of drivers to the camera-enforced school zones. Cameras are active during the school hours while flashing warning lights are on–approximately one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. Cameras were not installed in the school zones of Gordon-Barbour and Orange elementary schools and Orange County High School, which all have slower speed limits due to being within town limits.
