My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: Ohio. Sorry if this is hard to understand, it's my first time on here and first time dealing with a situation like this. Also this is a bit longer then I intended bit I wanted to be as specific as I could.
Ok so my son who is 16 and only had his license for about 3 weeks was pulled over and issued a ticket. His school sits off a highway where the normal speed limit is 55 by a connection road. The school zone is new, it was set up last year. It's a rual school just outside of city limits where the elementary, middle and high schools all sit together. High school and middle school end at 2:30 pm And elementary is over at 3:30 I believe.
He stayed after school for track practice and was leaving after 4 pm. He pulled out of the school and went down the side road and pulled on the main road, whos speed limit is 55, and was accelerating and was grabbed going 45 in a 20 school zone. His ticket has him listed as 2 offences, one was speeding and the other being a minor driver. I always thought school zones ended at 4. Looking at the ohio revised code it states that the school zone doesn't have to have times listed but they do need to have signs. Now in the city we live in all the other schools have flashing lights that Don't have times listed, but they do have "No turn on red between 7:30 and 4, school days" signs. I went to the his school to look and leaving the schools on the connector road there is no sign stating it's a school zone. The only signs with flashing lights are maybe 100 feet from the intersection leading to the schools.
So I'm wondering if its worth trying to fight this ticket.
One one side, yes he should have known he was in a school zone, he was leaving school. But the fact there is no sign telling him the zone is in effect might matter. The lights on the main road were flashing, apparently they flash until 4:30. But driving down either road leading to the school there is no signs so you would have no idea you were in a school zone or if it was active. There is no way he could see the flashing lights, or any signs from when he left the school until after he left the school zone. I know the code states there doesn't have to be flashing lights but that leads me to my next issue.
I'm at a loss on what decides the time a school zone is considered active The revised code states "as children are coming to or leaving, would 30 minites after school let out be considered time children are leaving? There are kids doing after school things until 9 pm some days, the zone isn't considered active then.
So my main wonders are should I hire an attorney to try to if not fight this then mitigate some of the damage? I have read several things on ohio traffic laws and im reading contradictory info. One website says any minor convictied of 2 infractions, which they cited my son for, one for speeding and the other for being a minor and speeding, automatically loses his driving privileges. Another says it is one infraction, one says any infraction they may, it's up to the judge. I don't want to seem like I'm trying to get my son out of trouble. If he was going 65 in the 55 zone coming home at anytime I would cut up his license myself and it's not like he was out running around with his friends speeding or racing. But to give him a ticket as he's leaving school, in a new school zone, over 30 minutes after school let's out seems excessive. Considering he's a newer driver and he wasn't going over the real speed limit he, like I, thought the school zone wasn't active that late. Also he is a good kid, if i can be objective, he has never been in trouble with the cops, never gets in trouble at school, is involved in after school activites year round. I dont think it matters but the cop was sitting there pulling several people over after he left, almost like a speed trap. We don't even have a court date yet, they said the would inform him of that later.
So does anyone have any idea of what we can or should do or what we can expect?
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long read
Ok so my son who is 16 and only had his license for about 3 weeks was pulled over and issued a ticket. His school sits off a highway where the normal speed limit is 55 by a connection road. The school zone is new, it was set up last year. It's a rual school just outside of city limits where the elementary, middle and high schools all sit together. High school and middle school end at 2:30 pm And elementary is over at 3:30 I believe.
He stayed after school for track practice and was leaving after 4 pm. He pulled out of the school and went down the side road and pulled on the main road, whos speed limit is 55, and was accelerating and was grabbed going 45 in a 20 school zone. His ticket has him listed as 2 offences, one was speeding and the other being a minor driver. I always thought school zones ended at 4. Looking at the ohio revised code it states that the school zone doesn't have to have times listed but they do need to have signs. Now in the city we live in all the other schools have flashing lights that Don't have times listed, but they do have "No turn on red between 7:30 and 4, school days" signs. I went to the his school to look and leaving the schools on the connector road there is no sign stating it's a school zone. The only signs with flashing lights are maybe 100 feet from the intersection leading to the schools.
So I'm wondering if its worth trying to fight this ticket.
One one side, yes he should have known he was in a school zone, he was leaving school. But the fact there is no sign telling him the zone is in effect might matter. The lights on the main road were flashing, apparently they flash until 4:30. But driving down either road leading to the school there is no signs so you would have no idea you were in a school zone or if it was active. There is no way he could see the flashing lights, or any signs from when he left the school until after he left the school zone. I know the code states there doesn't have to be flashing lights but that leads me to my next issue.
I'm at a loss on what decides the time a school zone is considered active The revised code states "as children are coming to or leaving, would 30 minites after school let out be considered time children are leaving? There are kids doing after school things until 9 pm some days, the zone isn't considered active then.
So my main wonders are should I hire an attorney to try to if not fight this then mitigate some of the damage? I have read several things on ohio traffic laws and im reading contradictory info. One website says any minor convictied of 2 infractions, which they cited my son for, one for speeding and the other for being a minor and speeding, automatically loses his driving privileges. Another says it is one infraction, one says any infraction they may, it's up to the judge. I don't want to seem like I'm trying to get my son out of trouble. If he was going 65 in the 55 zone coming home at anytime I would cut up his license myself and it's not like he was out running around with his friends speeding or racing. But to give him a ticket as he's leaving school, in a new school zone, over 30 minutes after school let's out seems excessive. Considering he's a newer driver and he wasn't going over the real speed limit he, like I, thought the school zone wasn't active that late. Also he is a good kid, if i can be objective, he has never been in trouble with the cops, never gets in trouble at school, is involved in after school activites year round. I dont think it matters but the cop was sitting there pulling several people over after he left, almost like a speed trap. We don't even have a court date yet, they said the would inform him of that later.
So does anyone have any idea of what we can or should do or what we can expect?
Thanks in advance and sorry for the long read
Ohio Minor and Speeding Ticket
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