Verra Mobility has just announced the findings of an independent study conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR), demonstrating that school zone speed safety programs reduced speeding violations by 97% at participating Florida school zones.

The research was funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and evaluated Verra Mobility-operated speed programs in the City of St. Cloud and Osceola County.

Speeding Dropped Before Citations Even Began

The study analyzed vehicle speeds before camera activation, during Florida's required 30-day warning period, and throughout the first 30 days of citation enforcement.

Notable Study Findings

Across 18 school zone speed cameras, researchers found that:

• Total speeding violations dropped from 3.47% of passing vehicles to just 0.09%, representing a 97% reduction in violations.
• Warnings alone reduced violations by 93%, demonstrating that driver awareness significantly influences behavior even before citations are issued.
• Severe speeding (16+ mph or more over the speed limit)declined from 74% to 45%, while many individual school zones experienced reductions exceeding 95% during the citation period.

At BridgePrep Academy in Osceola County, one camera location recorded an 80% high-speeding rate before the program began and reached zero during both the warning and citation periods.

The study also found that the greatest changes occurred during the warning period, reinforcing the importance of public education and awareness alongside enforcement. Researchers concluded that drivers consistently slowed when enforcement was present and suggested that these behavioral changes could contribute to safer driving beyond camera locations.

What the Findings Could Mean for School Zone Safety

"Independent research continues to validate what communities across the country are experiencing firsthand," said Stacey Moser, chief customer officer, Verra Mobility. "Automated school zone speed enforcement changes driver behavior and helps create safer environments for children. A 97% reduction in speeding violations is an extraordinary outcome, but even more important is that those numbers represent thousands of drivers making safer decisions around our children. That's exactly why communities invest in these programs."

Dr. Pei-Sung Lin, director of the Intelligent Transportation Systems, Traffic Operations, and Safety Program at the University of South Florida CUTR said that this now allows municipalities to move beyond theoretical discussions and generate practical, evidence-based insights that help communities make informed decisions about technology investments.

Florida authorized school zone speed detection systems through House Bill 657 in 2023. Since then, Verra Mobility has partnered with communities throughout the state and across the nation to deploy programs that prioritize education, encourage voluntary compliance, and improve safety for students, families, pedestrians, and school staff. The company supports automated safety programs in more than 300 communities.