Legislation pushed by MITA that allows speed camera enforcement within work zones passed the House of Reps last week. After several years of increased fatalities within work zones, MITA and MDOT formed the Work Zone Safety Taskforce focusing on protecting our workers on job sites. Of the many recommendations from that group, allowing speed camera enforcement within work zones became one of the biggest priorities.
Seventeen states across the US allow for the use of speed camera enforcement within work zones and their implementation has been a successful strategy. For example, Maryland reports that the use of automated enforcement in work zones resulted in an 80% reduction in speeding violations, and fatalities dropped by half in the first three years of the program’s inception.
The legislation, House Bills 4132 and 4133, introduced by Representatives Will Snyder and Mike Mueller, passed unanimously in the House Committee on Regulatory Reform and received 67 and 68 of 110 in the full House. The legislation will now be sent to the Senate, where it will be debated in Committee and hopefully passed by the full Senate so the heavy construction industry can take full advantage of this new safety measure as soon as possible. If the legislation is passed before the end of the year, there is a good chance we can see automated camera enforcement within road construction work zones by the 2024 construction season.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Rob Coppersmith, Executive Vice President, at robcoppersmith@thinkmita.org; or Lance Binoniemi, Vice President of Government Affairs, at lancebinoniemi@thinkmita.org.
