Same Car Blasts Through School Zones 4 Days in a Row, Hits 83 MPH in a 40

There are people who need one speeding ticket to get the message.

Then there is whoever kept taking the same white Audi through Sarasota school zones four days in a row.

The Sarasota Police Department shared photos from its school-zone cameras Monday showing the same vehicle caught speeding on four separate days.

One of those trips was considerably faster than the others.

The vehicle was recorded traveling 83 mph in a 40 mph zone.

Four Days, Four Trips Through School Zones

The four violations happened on consecutive school days from Aug. 17 through Aug. 20, according to WWSB.

All four were recorded at about 11 a.m. on Tuttle Avenue, with the car passing through school zones for either Tuttle Elementary School or Alta Vista Elementary School.

The speeds were:

• Aug. 17: 53 mph in a 40 mph zone near Tuttle Elementary
• Aug. 18: 83 mph in a 40 mph zone near Alta Vista Elementary
• Aug. 19: 65 mph in a 40 mph zone near Tuttle Elementary
• Aug. 20: 62 mph in a 40 mph zone near Alta Vista Elementary

So after going 13 mph over the limit on Monday, the car returned on Tuesday at more than twice the posted speed.

Then it showed up again on Wednesday.

And again on Thursday.

Police said the registered owner received four separate $100 notices of violation — one for each day.

The department did not identify who was driving during the violations, so the photos alone don’t establish that the registered owner was behind the wheel each time.

Those Cameras Don’t Only Work When The Lights Flash

Sarasota’s school-zone camera system has a wrinkle drivers may want to know about before assuming they’re in the clear once the flashing lights stop.

According to the department’s School Speed Zone Safety Program, cameras operate during designated school-day enforcement periods.

When the school-zone lights are flashing, a violation can be issued when a vehicle exceeds the reduced school-zone speed limit by more than 10 mph.

But when the lights aren’t flashing, the cameras can still issue violations during the enforcement period to vehicles traveling more than 10 mph over the road’s normal posted speed limit.

For the Tuttle Avenue locations involved here, the normal speed limit is 40 mph.

That explains why even the slowest of the Audi’s four recorded trips — 53 mph — generated a notice.

$400 Can Become A Bit More Expensive

Each automated school-zone violation carries a $100 penalty.

Paying the civil notice within 30 days does not add points to the registered owner’s license or put the violation on their driving record, according to Sarasota Police.

Ignoring it is another matter.

If the owner doesn’t pay, request a hearing or file an applicable affidavit within the required period, police say the matter can become a Uniform Traffic Citation. Court costs increase the amount to $206 for each citation.

Four $100 notices, therefore, start at $400.

Four $206 citations would be $824.

Police accompanied the photos with a fairly uncomplicated piece of advice for anyone approaching those flashing school-zone signs:

Slow down.

For one particular car in Sarasota, apparently that reminder needed to be delivered four times.