News : Speeders beware----Vinton Police stepping up traffic enforcement in school zones

Vinton Police have increased traffic enforcement activity on C Avenue, 13th Street and 21st street, reminding drivers that school will be open Tuesday. "Everybody lets their guard down a little during the summer. We want everyone aware that the kids will be coming back to school, and the Southeast part of town will have a lot more pedestrian traffic." Jeff Tilson, Vinton Police Chief said today. Vinton Police began a directed traffic enforcement campaign in that area this week, and will continue with the school year starting. "We want everyone to be very aware of their speed, obeying stop signs, yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, and just looking out for the kids getting to and from school." he added. "When fall comes and the windshields get frost covered overnight, we want to make sure everyone is taking an extra minute or two to completely clear their windows before hitting the streets too. We had quite a few complaints about this the last school year, particularly with parents driving in the school zones with frost covered windows." Tilson added that Vinton Police also get many complaints of parents not properly securing children with seat belts or car seats when taking kids to school. "We get a lot of calls about parents with a car load of unsecured kids at the schools, and we will be stopping and citing those drivers as well." As of July 1 of this year, the State Legislature has set the total fine and court costs for this violation at $195.00.