Keeping your children safe with a whistle blow at a time: Crossing guards speak on traffic safety

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — Crossing guards are tasked with keeping our children safe from unwanted traffic.

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Tammy Vanzant has been a crossing guard for over a decade in Nassau County. With every upcoming school year, Vanzant tells me her main concern is drivers speeding through school zones.

“They’ll be running 40 to 45 miles an hour of a school zone is 15-20 miles an hour, according if it’s a public highway or a private highway,” she explains.

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Speeding isn’t only illegal. It’s dangerous and could have serious consequences. You could pay a hefty citation if an officer pulls you over. For every 10 miles per hour you’re over, your ticket goes up by $100, according to officials.

“We just need to know that you know we need to be accountable for where we’re at,” says Vanzant.

Not every school zone will look the same. Each one will have a sign - but they’ll look different depending on where you’re driving.

“Some have flashing lights, some have signs, and some have road signs. But they all need to abide by it... or they might get a citation,” says Margret Warren, who’s been a Jacksonville Beach crossing guard for nearly a decade.

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At every school zone, it’s a crossing guard’s mission to make sure each child crosses the road safely.

“Understand that the future of our world is in these concrete buildings. And if we take care of them and we know that we’re accountable for them. Then we can make them be accountable adults,” says Vanzant.

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