Seattle school zones display one sign too many, a judge agreed in dismissing a driver’s camera-generated $234 speeding ticket. 
 
 For the second time, a judge has tossed out a camera-generated speeding ticket by ruling that Seattle’s school-zone signs are too wordy. 
 
 The city mailed Jason Canfield a $234 citation in May 2016 for driving 28 mph on Delridge Way Southwest, when flashing amber lights imposed a 20 mph limit. Seattle Municipal Court upheld the fine. 
 
 But he took the case to King County Superior Court, acting as his own attorney. 
 
 Judge Catherine Moore reversed the Municipal Court decision, basically siding with Canfield on two points: 
 
 • City signs say the 20 mph limit applies “WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT�? “OR WHEN FLASHING.�? But national standards prescribe only one such small sign, not both — so drivers can react faster. 
 
 • Though the city argued its signs are in “substantial compliance�? with national guidance, Washington state code requires they match the examples and regulations in the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). 
 
 Canfield, who works in juvenile probation, was driving south and looking for a client’s apartment along Delridge, then a 35 mph corridor. Canfield says he saw the flashers too late to decelerate to 20 mph. The time was 9:14 a.m., or 21 minutes before the start of class at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 school. He recalls seeing no children along the street. 
 
 “I have an 8-year-old daughter, and I’m not in favor of speeding in school zones,�? he said. He suggests the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) install stronger advance-warning signs. “To make it so people pay fines unintentionally, that’s dishonest.�? 
 
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 Officials at SDOT won’t yet say whether they plan to alter or remove any signs. 
 
 Speed cameras exist across the country. Seattle has gradually installed them at 14 schools since late 2012. 
 
 They’re part of the Vision Zero campaign, in which 27 U.S. cities have pledged to eliminate traffic deaths, by 2030 in the case of Seattle and Bellevue. 
 
 “Photo enforcement is effective at reducing the higher-speed driving in those areas,�? said Dr. Beth Ebel, director of the Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center. 
 
 Lower speeds are based on physics. 
 
 Someone hit at 20 mph has a 95 percent chance of survival, which falls to 60 percent at 30 mph and 20 percent when hit at 40 mph, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 
 
 “’What you’re buying is survival for people. You’re also buying more time, to avoid hitting anyone at all,�? Ebell said. 
 
 A total of 28 cities and counties in Washington state operate or have used automated cameras to enforce speed limits, red lights, or both, says the Municipal Research and Services Center. 
 
 By ordinance, Seattle school-camera fines are reinvested into school-area safety improvements such as sidewalks, trails, stairways, signals and education. 
 
 Millions of dollars 
 
 Seattle collected $8.2 million last year, of which $5.9 million remained for safety projects after payment to a camera contractor and other operating costs. Twelve additional schools are being studied for possible camera-enforcement next year. 
 
 At the first four schools (Olympic View, Broadview-Thompson, Thurgood Marshall and Gatewood), citation totals declined 62 percent from 47,348 in 2013 to 18,024 this past year. 
 
 That’s proof drivers are getting the message to slow down, a city report says. 
 
 In the three years before speed cameras, there were 21 collisions during school start and end times next to the 14 schools. Only six collisions happened in the 18 to 36 months since cameras arrived, according to city data. Most were between vehicles, while crashes into bicyclists and pedestrians declined from two to zero. 
 
 Traffic collisions claim about 20 lives per year in Seattle. Among pedestrians, there were six deaths and 59 serious injuries this past year, according to data the state forwarded to The Seattle Times. Bellevue’s Vision Zero program reports five serious pedestrian injuries and one death last year. 
 
 Canfield’s case, ruled on last month, resembles the 2014 win by Joe Hunt, who got his speed-camera ticket on Greenwood Avenue North canceled by arguing that signs marked “WHEN LIGHTS ARE FLASHING�? contained too many words, and violated the manual. 
 
 The city subsequently replaced signs at four schools to say “WHEN FLASHING,�? the norm in other Washington cities. But placards remained that say, “OR WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT,�? which Canfield just challenged. 
 
 Hunt’s win inspired another driver, Nicholas Boone, to file a class-action lawsuit seeking refunds for drivers like Hunt. As many as 70,000 motorists were fined up to $10 million in four school-camera zones from December 2012 to May 2014. The city won that case in superior court and an appeal is pending. 
 
 However, the city attorney’s office called the Canfield case a routine matter. The ruling “concludes the case and dismisses Mr. Canfield’s ticket; the ruling is not binding on anyone else,�? a spokeswoman said. 
 
 Canfield uncovered an interesting twist in the law: the word “CHILDREN�? was shorthand for schoolchildren. Therefore, that second sign is redundant, if you assume that amber flashers work properly during 1½ hours per day schoolchildren might come and go to class. 
 
 He spent about $800 in filing fees, records gathering, photocopies and transcription fees, or nearly four times the amount of the fine. 
 
 “The reason I kept going, I think — it ended up almost being like a hobby. It was kind of stressful but also kind of fun,�? he says. “I got into it, reading the MUTCD.�? 
 
 Canfield said he’ll be satisfied if the city installs briefer signs, and simpler advance-warning signs, so drivers can avoid a $234 “gut punch�? even if they’re unfamiliar with the neighborhood. 
 
 “It has to be making-money, or keeping kids safe. It can’t be both,�? he said. 
 
 A postscript: In December, the city reduced the maximum speed on Delridge from 35 mph to 30 mph, part of an ongoing initiative to lower arterial speeds citywide. 
 
 So it should be easier to get down to 20 mph, before a car meets the merciless eye of the camera. ||||| 0 Judge tosses Seattle speeding ticket over wordy sign 
 
 A Burien man took on the city of Seattle after he received a speeding ticket and got that ticket thrown out for being too wordy. 
 
 But Jason Canfield said his fight is not over yet, because he wants Seattle’s Department of Transportation to review and improve its signage. 
 
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 “I want to let people know [about it], so there’s some pressure on the city,” he said. 
 
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 Canfield said back in May of 2016, signs on Delridge Way Southwest told him there was a school in the vicinity, but did not warn him that the speed limit was dropping to 20 miles an hour ahead. 
 
 When he got to the actual speed limit sign, which is accompanied by flashers and a notice of photo enforcement, he said he found the instructions confusing for a moment because of how many messages were posted on the pole. 
 
 “It’s definitely something that impacts your reaction time, because you need time to see a sign, react to it, and then hit the brakes and slow down,” he said. “It takes quite a while to do that.” 
 
 Canfield got a $234 ticket. Then he began researching and discovered that national standards call for only one plaque that says 'WHEN FLASHING'. The sign in question had two — one that reads, 'WHEN CHILDREN ARE PRESENT’ and other that reads, ‘OR WHEN FLASHING.’ After the ticket was upheld in Seattle Municipal Court, Canfield appealed and a King County Superior Court judge ruled in his favor on May 26. 
 
 It's similar to a case from 2014 in which local attorney Joe Hunt got his ticket in a North Seattle school zone thrown out because the sign said ‘WHEN LIGHTS ARE FLASHING’ — two too many words. 
 
 “It sounds like it's a technicality, but there's a significant difference,” Hunt said then. 
 
 In 2014, the Seattle Department of Transportation changed four of its signs. 
 
 This time, SDOT told KIRO 7 it is still getting up to speed on what this ruling means for them. An SDOT spokesperson said Wednesday in an email, “While the department does evaluate and monitor safety programs, making adjustments when necessary to improve safety efficiency, Seattle is one hundred percent committed to our Vision Zero mission. Therefore, I can't imagine that we will reduce efforts to keep students safe any time soon." 
 
 SDOT said that speed cameras and their signs have been a success in reducing collisions, the main focus of Vision Zero. 
 
 Canfield said he wants students to be safe as well. 
 
 “I don't want people speeding in school zones,” he said. He hopes SDOT will review the federal manual and see where the city could make things clearer for drivers. 
 
 “Give people an opportunity to follow the law, rather than, ‘We'll nail you once and then you’ll know better next time,’” he said. 
 
 As for any other people who might be hoping to appeal their tickets as well, KIRO 7 discovered that municipal court judges are not bound by this one superior court ruling. That means they can rule however they want on other people’s tickets. 
 
 If people choose to appeal a ruling against them to the superior court level, they should know Canfield has already spent about $800 fighting the ticket and has not received $234 back for the ticket so far. 
 
 © 2018 Cox Media Group. ||||| FOX 12 went on a ride along with Trooper Will Finn with the Washington State Patrol Sunday to see how they are enforcing the new law. (KPTV) 
 
 Beginning Sunday, holding your phone while driving is illegal in Washington. If pulled over by a police officer, you could face a $136 ticket. 
 
 “We already know you can't use your phone while driving down the road. We know that you're not supposed to text. How about we go this far? You cannot touch your electronic device at all,” explains Will Finn, a trooper with Washington State Patrol. 
 
 Finn said they are trying to get to “Target Zero,” a new campaign started by Washington’s Traffic Safety Commission. He said they are aiming for zero deaths on the road by 2030. 
 
 Though the law went into effect Sunday, Finn says he and other law enforcement are trying to help drivers understand the law first. 
 
 “Maybe you didn't catch the news. Maybe you didn't see the signs on the roadway. Maybe you didn't see the things online,” he said. 
 
 The law says if you need to answer your phone while driving, you have to complete a one-touch answer. 
 
 “And it has to be ran through a Bluetooth device or through the speakers of the vehicle that you're operating,” said Finn. 
 
 He says there’s an enhancement of the law that’s a secondary offense. Now, you also can’t eat or drink while driving in Washington for extended periods of time. 
 
 “If I see you speeding and as you speed by me, I see that you're eating a big old cheeseburger, that's a secondary. So, I stop you for the speeding and when I get up to the window, I talk to you about safely operating a motor vehicle,” said Finn. 
 
 And that’s just what he did during a ride along with FOX 12 – except the driver was eating ice cream. 
 
 Finn says he pulled over one man for distracted driving and inconsistent speeds. The law says distractions, like eating, can result in a fine if you’re pulled over for another traffic offense. 
 
 “I’m just shocked. Didn't know,” said Dan Thomas, who was pulled over by Finn. 
 
 Finn says they’ll be educating drivers for the next several months and tickets are up to the officer’s discretion. 
 
 The DUI-E will be a primary infraction. You’ll not only be paying the price for a damaged driving record, but for higher insurance rates, too. 
 
 Copyright 2017 KPTV-KPDX Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. ||||| CTV Vancouver Island 
 
 
 
 
 
 While kids going back to school can be a cause to celebrate for many parents, Saanich Police say this is one case you just can’t make up. 
 
 A mother who was pulled over for speeding in a school zone Tuesday morning said she smoked a joint with other moms before getting behind the wheel, according to police. 
 
 Sgt. John Price said he was conducting speed enforcement in the Spectrum-Marigold school zone when the car came speeding down Burnside Road. 
 
 “As soon as she rolled down the window it was pretty evident that the people in that car, or the driver herself, had been smoking a joint prior to being stopped,” he said. 
 
 “She did admit to smoking a joint and tried to excuse it away by saying her and some of the other moms this morning had a celebratory joint, celebrating that the kids were back in school.” 
 
 Price said the woman was admonished for admitting to smoking pot and then driving through school zones, but a drug recognition expert deemed that she was not impaired enough to warrant charges. 
 
 He said despite Canada being in the process of legalizing the drug, there shouldn’t be any confusion surrounding whether you can get behind the wheel while high. 
 
 “That’s not the case,” he said. 
 
 Police were in full force across Vancouver Island conducting speed checks in school zones Tuesday. 
 
 A new survey from BCAA found that 94 per cent of parents and guardians witness speeding in school zones, and another 90 per cent see distracted driving, and drivers ignoring traffic signs and road rules.
– When Jason Canfield got a speeding ticket in May 2016, he didn't pull out his checkbook to pay the $234 fine: He started gathering records of national and state traffic codes to contest the charge of driving too fast in a Seattle school zone. And his efforts paid off, with a King County Superior judge tossing the camera-generated citation in May, per the Seattle Times. Canfield's winning argument centered on what he says were overly verbose road signs. He says he was driving in a 35mph zone on the day of the infraction when, just after 9am, he cruised past a K-8 school, which suddenly placed him in a 20mph zone. A speed camera caught him driving 28mph. He argued the too-wordy signage calling for a slowdown to 20mph "when children are present" (Canfield says they weren't) or "when flashing" (referring to the warning lights) was confusing enough to slow down drivers' reaction times. Further, national standards specify only one of the two signs appear. The speed cameras are part of Seattle's participation in the national Vision Zero campaign, designed to eliminate traffic deaths. A city report shows drivers may be heeding the warnings, with a significant reduction in collisions near Seattle schools with the speed cameras installed. Canfield, who spent about $800 to fight the ticket, isn't against the initiative in principle: He has an 8-year-old daughter and says, "I'm not in favor of speeding in school zones." He just wants clearer signs. An SDOT rep tells KIRO 7, "I can't imagine ... we will reduce efforts to keep students safe anytime soon."