Traffic Cops Focus on School Zones, Commutes

School's back in session and traffic cops from across the county stationed themselves in front of several area schools Tuesday afternoon as a not-so-subtle reminder to slow down, buckle up and avoid distractions while driving.

"We want our presence to be a deterrent," CHP officer Sarah Jackson said while patrolling on Casserly Road not far from Watsonville's Monte Vista Christian High School as classes let out. "The idea is to slow them down, not necessarily write tickets."

About six cops were circulating around Monte Vista, while other traffic officers watched for dangerous driving near Main Street Elementary in Soquel, Aptos High School and Capitola's Shoreline Middle School.

Jackson said the four schools were the ones with the most traffic complaints in the unincorporated area of the county, which is why BADGES chose to focus on them Tuesday. BADGES, or Before Aggressive Driving Gets Everyone Stopped, is a once-a-month combined effort by Santa Cruz County traffic officers to target one type of driving violation or one troublesome area.

Jackson said homing in on school zones, where speed limits lower along with the average age of drivers, is important at the start of the academic year. There are lots of new, teenage motorists as well as parents who are driving to the school for the first time.

"I think it's best to start the school year off right with positive driving habits," Jackson said.

Jackson stationed herself near a small bridge where, in the spring, a . She had been driving about 70 mph through curvy, country roads. The teenager was thrown from the vehicle and badly hurt but survived.

Officers focused on speeding, cell phone violations and seatbelt use around school zones, but the number of tickets handed out during the afternoon enforcement wasn't available Tuesday evening.

However, Jackson said officers participating in BADGES wrote 81 tickets on Highway 17 near Scotts Valley and in the San Lorenzo Valley during the morning commute.