LANSING, Mich. – An effort to install speed cameras in construction zones along Michigan highways is one step closer to becoming law.
The Michigan Senate passed a bill Thursday, Nov. 7, that would allow the state to place cameras in work zones. The cameras would monitor vehicles entering the construction zones while recording motorists driving over the posted speed limit. Motorists found driving over the speed limit risk getting a ticket.
The Michigan Senate’s decision to pass the bill comes one day after a construction worker was hit and killed by a car in a work zone along I-75 in Detroit.
Under the bill, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) would be responsible for installing the automated speed enforcement cameras. MDOT would determine which work zones would be prioritized for camera enforcement. The state would require signs to be placed one mile before the start of a work zone where the cameras would be placed, and no more than four automated speed enforcement cameras could be used in a zone at the same time.
Supporters of the bill said there were nearly 7,500 work zone crashes in Michigan in 2022. Those incidents resulted in 23 deaths and nearly 2,000 injuries. Speed was among the main factors that led to work zone crashes, according to testimony offered in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
According to language in the bills, the owner of a vehicle who alleges they weren’t driving at the time the fine was issued may dispute the claim through court testimony.
The bill is expected to be reviewed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.