TODAY WAS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IN SARASOTA COUNTY, AND SHERIFF TOM KNIGHT REMINDS MOTORISTS TO USE EXTRA CAUTION AND OBEY SPEED LIMITS, PARTICULARLY IN SCHOOL ZONES, OR YOU WILL PAY. DRIVERS SHOULD BE VIGILANT AND NEVER ALLOW DISTRACTIONS TO TAKE THEIR EYES OFF THE ROAD AS MANY STUDENTS WALK OR RIDE BICYCLES TO BUS STOPS. MOTORISTS MUST STOP FOR ALL SCHOOL BUSES WHEN THE STOP SIGN IS OUT AND LIGHTS ARE FLASHING, EVEN IF THE BUS IS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE STREET, UNLESS A MEDIAN MORE THAN FOUR FEET WIDE DIVIDES THE ROAD. DEPUTIES WILL STRICTLY ENFORCE ALL TRAFFIC LAWS NEAR SCHOOLS, GIVING CITATIONS THAT CARRY GREATER FINES THAN REGULAR SPEEDING FINES. IF YOU GO NINE MILES OR LESS OVER THE POSTED SPEED, THE FINE IS $156 DOLLARS, WHILE 10-14 MILES OVER WILL HIT YOU FOR $306 DOLLARS IN THE WALLET. THE FINES GO UP TO $456 DOLLARS, AND IF YOU ARE CAUGHT GOING THIRTY OR MORE MILES PER HOUR OVER THE SPEED LIMIT, YOU GET A MANDATORY COURT APPEARANCE, AS WELL AS IF YOU PASS A SCHOOL BUS ON THE EXIT SIDE. FAILING TO STOP FOR A SCHOOL BUS WILL COST YOU $271 DOLLARS.
