Skip to main content

Police Blotter

Tickets on the Rise - Tips from Crossing Guards

November 11, 2013 2:36 PM

The City of Madison Police Department Crossing Guard program has seen a 25% increase in the number of tickets written so far this school year over the same time period last year.

These $88.80 tickets are issued to owners of vehicles observed to have not stopped, remain stopped, or stopped too close to our adult school crossing guards.  These adults give their time each day to serve and protect the school children and their families in our community.

This increase in tickets are be due in large part to two primary factors:

1.         Lack of education in school zone driving behaviors.  State Statute 346.465(2m) states the following:

"Every operator of a motor vehicle approaching a school crossing which is controlled by an adult school crossing guard appointed under s. 120.13 (31) or 349.215 shall follow the directions of the school crossing guard. If directed by the school crossing guard to stop, the operator shall stop the vehicle not less than 10 feet nor more than 30 feet from the school crossing and shall remain stopped until the school crossing guard directs the operator to proceed."

When an Adult School Crossing Guard steps into the street with their stop sign raised, this is the direction for drivers to stop.  Drivers should stop no closer than 10 feet from the school crossing and shall remain stopped until the school crossing guard directs the operator to proceed.  Crossing guards in Madison are trained to display their stop sign above their head until they reach the curb and then lower the sign once they and their students are safely off the street.  The dropping of the stop sign when the guard reaches the curb is the direction for drivers to proceed.  No driver should proceed through or turn into a crosswalk that is being guarded by an adult school crossing guard with their stop sign raised.

Often, drivers will wave and smile at the adult crossing guards even as the driver is pulling through the crosswalk, within feet of the crossing guard, while students are waiting to or in the process of crossing the street.

2.         Inattentiveness while driving:

Crossing guards and pedestrians at school crossings regularly report seeing drivers who are talking on cell phones, texting, eating, reading, flossing their teeth, or one of many other distractions which prevent them from being fully engaged and alert while driving through school zones.

The Madison Police Department appreciates the cooperation of the community in keeping our school children and our adult school crossing guards safe from harm.  We ask that every driver in our community pay particular attention to the directions of our school crossing guards, be more attentive and slow down in our school zones and be more alert to all unsafe driving behaviors.

Patti Knoche - Crossing Guard Supervisor

 Email to a friend

Subscribe to Email List

Subscribe to the Police Blotter email list:

By participating on this list the Wisconsin Public Records Laws may subject your email address to disclosure to third parties. By selecting "Yes" you are requesting that we treat your email address that you have provided to this list as confidential and you are also stating that you would not participate in this service if the City is obligated to release your email address to such third party requesters.

Posts By Month

Posts By Category

Tags

#Back2SchoolSAFETYTIPS  #BattleOfTheBadges  #beneighborly  #Captain Brian Austin  #ClickItOrTicket  #CoffeeWithACop  #CommunitySurvey  #ConeWithACop  #DriveSoberOrGetPulledOver  #DrugTakeBack  #FindYOURBlueCalling  #GoodNeighborProject  #HelicopterParent  #lovemadison  #MPDMotorUnit  #NightlyLockup  #PrideMonth  #SafetyTips  #ScamAlert  #seesomethingsaysomething  #SouthSideSoccerSeries  #VisionZeroMadison  #WeAreThe28  #westdistrictstrategicplan  #YouCanBeYOU  Amigos en Azul  Bigs In Blue  Bike Rides  Black Youth Academy  Budget Process  Capt. Cory Nelson  Captain Ackeret  Captain Beckett  Captain Freedman  Captain Patton  Central District  Ceremonies  Chief Barnes  Citizen Recognition  Coffee with a Cop  Community Academy  Community Awards  Community Events  Community Forums  Community Gang Outreach  Community Outreach  Community Partnership  Community Policing  Community Survey  CORE  CRASE  Crime Prevention  Crime Stoppers  Crossing Guards  Cyber Detective Camp  Cyber Safety  Damaged Property  Downtown Safety  Driving Safely  East District  East High School  Edgewood College  Education Resource Officer  Emily Samson  Events  Explorers Post  Facebook  Fireside Five-Oh  Fireside Five-Oh  Good Neighbor Project  Guerrilla Grillers  Guerrilla Grillers  homeless  Investigations  Join the Team  K9  LaFollette High School  LeadsOnline  Lieutenant Lori Beth Chalecki  Lieutenant Patterson  Madison Area Addiction Recovery Initiative (MAARI)  Madison Area Recovery Initiative (MARI)  Madison Community Policing Foundation  Madison Parks  Madison Schools  MedDrop Box  Midtown District  Midtown Strategic Plan  MMSD  Mobile Device Safety  Mounted Patrol  MPD Awards Ceremony  National Night Out  Neighborhood Police Officers  Neighborhood Watch  New Recruits  North District  North District  Pawn Shops  Pedestrian Safety  Personal Safety  Phishing Scams  Police Biking  Property Crimes  Red Cross Blood Drive  Registered Sex Offender  Residential Burglaries  Road Home  Road Home  Robberies  Safe Communities  Safety in the Home  Safety Saturday  Secondhand Business  Self Report Unit  Sex Offender Information Bulletin  Shooting  Shout Out  Social Media  Solicitor Permits  South District  Southwest Safety Initiative  Spanish  Special Olympics  State St  Straubel  Straubel  SWAT  Torch Run  Traffic Concerns  Traffic Enforcement Safety Team (TEST)  Twitter  UW-Madison  Weapons Offenses  West Community Academy  West District  Youth Programs  Zero in Wisconsin