INDIANAPOLIS – To protect the lives of motorists and construction workers across the Hoosier State, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announced this week the official launch of Indiana Safe Zones, a five-year worksite speed control pilot program authorized during the 2023 legislative session.
Starting Wednesday, Aug. 14, camera technology will be deployed in the current I-70 construction zone in Hancock County (MM 95-105). The deployment will start with a pre-enforcement warning period during which no violations will be issued, but courtesy warnings will be sent. Additional worksites will be added to the program over time. By statute, INDOT may deploy cameras in up to four sites at any time.
“The goal of the Safe Zones program is to slow drivers down, reduce crashes, and most importantly, save lives,” said INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith. “Speed continues to be a factor in work zone crashes and changing driver behavior is crucial to making work zones safer for drivers and workers.”
Over the past decade, 269 people have died in crashes in highway worksites or worksite backups in Indiana. In 2023 alone, 33 people were killed and over 1,750 injured in INDOT work zones.
Here’s how Indiana Safe Zones will work:
- Signs will be posted as motorists enter and exit worksites notifying them that an automated system monitors speeds.
- The system will monitor the speed of vehicles using speed-timing devices. When 11 mph or more above the posted speed limit, the system will capture an image of the vehicle’s rear license plate. After the data is validated, violations will be certified and issued to the owner by mail.
- The pilot program will begin with a pre-enforcement period, during which drivers will receive courtesy notices but will not be fined.
- After the pre-enforcement period ends, the first violation will result in a zero-fine warning, the second in a $75 civil penalty, and every violation after that has a penalty of $150. Collected penalties will go into the state’s General Fund.
- Workers must be present at the site at the time of the event for violations to be valid.
Similar programs in other states have significantly improved work zone safety. Two years after Maryland launched its program, speeding violations in construction sites fell by more than 80%, and the incidence of worksite-related crashes, fatalities, and injuries was at its lowest in more than 10 years. In Pennsylvania’s first year of continuously enforcing its program, it saw a more than 19% drop in worksite crashes.
To learn more about Indiana Safe Zones, including active locations and answers to frequently asked questions, visit SafeZonesIN.com.
