Does anyone know why the school speed limit is in effect during the lunch hour?

I dont think they “school zone” signs turn on during lunch in my area. Im pretty sure they dont.

Usually, there is still traffic bustling from school parking lots/ driveways at the lunch hour. Parents picking up kids for appointments, teachers going to pick up lunch-etc.

In my area, kids do walk home for lunch.

I used to come home for lunch. Except I didn’t come back…

Couple of possible scenarios:

High schools with off campus lunch for seniors (or those with cars).

Other schools where half-days are in effect… such that kids are released from school around lunch time. Especially kindergarten or perhaps special needs kids.

Edit: Misread why as if…

Some students have half days, sporting events, field trips, etc…

They would post the times for the lunch hour if so! Generally it’s just for the morning (1 hour) and the afternoon (1 hour). They post the times on one of the signs.

Schools around where I live now don’t have school speed limits during the lunch . Some elementaries might have it where you live if they still have half-day kindergarten? My high school didn’t have school zones now that I think about it, do most? We were allowed to drive or walk off campus for lunch.

At my high school seniors could get out as early as 4th period which was the first lunch period so where I live there may very well be student drivers out. And although lunch had to be eaten at the school it wasn’t unusual for someone to sneak out and go to taco bell or mcdonald’s.

Is this a rule for all schools? Some schools do have open campus, even today. I’ve met people who went to an open campus high school.

I seem to notice this only with elementary schools in my area. I have no clue, as I know they certainly do not leave school grounds for lunch. But, I follow the school speed limit when the lights are flashing.

Our school zone speed limit is effective at all times when school is in session, plus additional time before and after the school day. Every school district is different. Like others have said some students only attend half day, there may be field trips or students leaving for appointments.

I went to the same high school as @JLeslie, and got hit be a car leaving campus on foot. I wish we had had school zone speed limits!

In our area, the earlier grades only go to school for half day, so the lights are on for the departing and the arriving.

@augustlan if anyone needs speed limits it’s frakking high schools! It’s scarier than heck getting down the street in front of the school, or through the parking lot! All of those totally inexperienced, over confident, immortal children behind the wheel, and all crammed together in one place!!! Scary!!

@Val123 I agree! That’s why our local high school has speed bumps in front of the school.

@jonsblond They should have retaining walls!! We have speed bumps in the parking lot, but kids race up to them, then slam on their brakes and race away as soon as they’re past them (Dude! There’s no cars coming!) but soon as they get on the street they’re free to run wild. And run wild they do.

I went to high school in the heart of downtown. The city refused to put speed bumps, a school zone, or even a parking lot. If we wanted to park, we had to pay, and the nearest lot was four blocks away.

@La_chica_gomela Ew!! Where is “downtown”? Our downtown isn’t big enough to hold a whole high school!! Not with big fat Walmart taking up all the space.

@Val123: Haha. I learned in a business class that Walmart has a policy not to be in urban areas. I think your idea of “downtown” and mine are different. This was a city of over a million.

Oh and I double checked as a drove by an elementary school today. It was 7:45 to 8:15 and 2:15 to 2:45. They don’t have a lunch speed limit in my area.

@Val123 Too true! That said, it wasn’t a kid that hit me… it was a grown man, who had nothing to do with the school whatsoever. He just happened to be driving on the main road in front of it.

@La_chica_gomela Um, well, we have, like, 40 people here! JK—14,000.
@augustlan What happened? My son got hit by a car. Wasn’t hurt, but that poor gramma that was driving…..poor dear!

@Val123: ooohhhhh in your town, gotcha

@Val123 I’m glad your son wasn’t hurt! I was crossing the (very busy) 6 lane street, and when I stepped into the last lane before the median I was hit. Never even saw the car! Luckily, I limped away with a sprained knee and that was it. I was the second person to be hit at that intersection in the same school year, and probably the 5th to be hit there in the preceding 3 years. After me, they put in a stop light.

I can’t believe it took them so long to take some action….crazy. In my case, I just took my son off the streets!! It really wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was just an accident, pure and simple.

Over here in Belgium there used to be a speed limit around schools 24/7… It took alot of protesting to get it overturned to 7 am – 18 pm, but then here children do regularly walk home for lunch. I mean, in my town (not city but town) there, that I know off, 15 schools for ages 6 – 12. Even more equivalents to High Schools…