Vehicles: school zones.

Existing law authorizes a local authority to, among other things, establish in a residence district, on a highway with a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour or slower, a 15 miles per hour prima facie limit when approaching, at a distance of less than 500 feet from, or passing, a school building or the grounds thereof, contiguous to a highway and posted with a school warning sign that indicates a speed limit of 15 miles per hour, while children are going to or leaving the school, either during school hours or during the noon recess period. Existing law also provides that the prima facie limit applies when approaching, at that same distance, or passing school grounds that are not separated from the highway by a fence, gate, or other physical barrier while the grounds are in use by children and the highway is posted with one of those signs. This bill would authorize a local authority in a rural area, as defined, that establishes a prima facie speed limit under these provisions to designate a school zone to include a state highway if the highway is within 1,000 feet of a school building or the grounds of a school building, including school grounds that are not separated from the highway by a fence, gate, or other physical barrier while the grounds are in use by children and the highway is posted with a school warning sign that indicates the posted speed limit.