Thanks! I need a refresher course!

judee

Definitely, but that's not the situation in the suburban and semi-rural school zones I was referring to. In every case, the school buildings are set far back from the road with an expanse of grass between the buildings and the road. There is no parking on these roads, only in the parking lots, which are even farther from the road as they are along the sides of the schools. The 15 mph lights come on during lunchtime and when school lets out (and probably in the mornings, too). But you never, ever see kids anywhere. These are not areas where kids walk to school, so they go from inside the buildings to the playgrounds in back of the school (on the other side of the buildings from the road) or to the buses which enter the parking lots and stop by the area just outside the side doors.

It's ridiculous IMO to even bother with the 15 mph lights in these places, but that's not really my point. Point is, there's just no need to slow to 20 mph during school hours when the 15 mph light is off. 35 or even 45 mph is fine. There are no kids around, no places for them to dash into the street from without being seen. Even if a stray kid did leave a building and head for the street, he'd have to walk across an expanse of grass with nothing to hide him from a driver's view. If a kid was running, you'd unquestionably see him coming way before he got to the street. Chances are you'd be long past before he made it to the street - or you could slow down. But again, this is during class hours or when school is closed, so the kids are going to be inside.

For a city or busier area, or areas where kids walk to and from school, it would certainly be more justified to have a 20 or 25 mph limit at all times. Funny, a can't recall seeing speed limit lights or signs at those kinds of areas.