Zero in the Zone returns as HPD ramps up school zone enforcement
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As students head back to the classroom, the Huntsville Police Department (HPD) is once again launching Zero in the Zone, a month-long traffic safety campaign focused on protecting students and safety patrol aides while reducing dangerous driving behaviors in school zones.
The initiative runs Aug. 5-31 and will place additional HPD patrol officers and safety patrol aides in and around school zones during peak arrival and dismissal times. Officers will enforce speed limits, distracted driving laws and other traffic violations to help keep students, parents and school staff safe.
Last year’s initiative demonstrated the impact of increased enforcement. During the 2025 initiative, officers conducted 249 traffic stops, issued 234 citations and wrote 72 warnings – a significant increase from the same period in 2024, when officers recorded 146 stops, 93 citations and 54 warnings.
“One mistake in a school zone is one too many,” HPD Special Operations Division Commander Capt. Tony McElyea said. “Our goal isn’t simply to write citations. It’s to change driver behavior and make sure every student arrives at school and returns home safely.”
Here’s how you can help keep students safe:
- Slow down and stay alert: Use extra caution near intersections and crosswalks. Obey all directions by officers and safety patrol aides.
- Stop completely for school buses: Come to a complete stop when a school bus’s arms are extended – from both directions of travel. This applies on public roads, private streets, school campuses and parking lots.
- Give yourself extra time: Plan your commute to avoid school zone congestion whenever possible.
- Avoid cutting through parking lots: It is illegal, dangerous and puts students at risk when you cut through school or private business parking lots to bypass traffic or red lights.
- Put the phone down: Drivers holding an electronic device violate Huntsville’s Hands-Free Ordinance. This is now a primary offense, meaning officers can pull you over for a violation and issue a citation.
Drivers traveling to Redstone Arsenal via Interstate 565 eastbound to Bob Wallace Avenue are encouraged to consider alternate routes to avoid traffic near Morris Elementary School. Exit 17A to Jordan Lane provides an option that avoids school zones.
If you witness dangerous driving in a school zone, contact HPD’s non-emergency line at 256-722-7100. Dispatchers will ask for the vehicle’s location, description and direction of travel.
HPD wishes all students, educators and families a safe, successful and rewarding school year.