The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has initiated a five-year pilot program involving the use of camera technology in an effort to improve safety in the state’s work zones.
Authorized in 2023 by the state legislature, the Indiana Safe Zones program will monitor and endorse speed limits in worksites throughout the state. The move comes following the deaths of 33 motorists in 2023 as a result of crashes in INDOT work zones and work zone backups. By the end of May 2024, 14 more deaths and 487 injuries, either drivers or their passen-gers, were reported before the program began in August.
"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 road workers. For everyone’s safety, I urge drivers to wear their seat belts, avoid distractions, and follow the posted speed limit.”
LAUNCHED IN HANCOCK COUNTY
Since the legislative action in 2023 to implement Indiana Safe Zones, INDOT has been working to select contractors and consultants to assist with program administration, hire personnel to administer the program, and collaborate with other state agencies including the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Revenue.
Cassandra Bajek, public relations di-rector for INDOT’s Northwest district, said the agency also consulted with the Indiana State Police. She said while state police will not be part of the implementation process of the program, they can still enforce speed limits in monitored areas.
INDOT also strategized about where to begin the program. The first camera technology was deployed in the current I-70 construction zone in Hancock County (MM 95-105). Deployment started with a pre-enforcement warning period when courtesy warnings rather than violations will be issued.
More worksites will be added to the program over time, with new sites announced approximately two weeks in advance. By statute, INDOT may deploy cameras in up to four sites at any given time. Site selection is based on crash data, average speeds, traffic counts, and locations of worksites, said Bajek.
“Selecting sites, communicating them to the public, and implementing the program at these sites will be our main tasks going forward with the five-year pilot program,” she said.
WHAT MOTORISTS CAN EXPECT
Motorists who are entering and exiting worksites will be notified by signs that post the speed limits and alert them that the automated system is monitoring them. Speed timing devices capture speed limits as motorists pass through the work zone. If a motorist is traveling 11 mph or more above the posted speed limit, the system will capture an image of the vehicle’s license plate. Violations will then be certified to determine if workers were present at the site at the time of the violations. If so, the violation will be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle by mail.
INDOT said a pre-enforcement period will be in place, during which time drivers will only receive a cour-tesy notice but will not be fined if it is a first violation. Motorists who receive a second violation will be fined $75 and every violation after is a $150 fine. Collected penalties will go to the Indiana General Fund.
SUCCESS IN OTHER STATES
Similar programs in other s tates have significantly improved work zone safety. Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois have permanent programs, while Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Connecticut, and New York have pilot programs.
In work zones where deployed, automated speed enforcement has been effective in slowing traffic, evidenced by the drop in violations issued at these work zones.
Two years after Maryland launched its program, officials there noted speed-ing violations in construction sites fell by more than 80% and incidents of worksite-related crashes, fatalities, and injuries were at their lowest in more than 10 years. In the first year Pennsylvania began continuously enforcing its program, it saw a more than 19% drop in worksite crashes.
Data collected by Indiana Safe Zones will be used strictly for this program and will not be used for surveillance or other law enforcement purposes, INDOT noted. The agency will share annual reports throughout the five-year pilot program with members of the Indiana General Assembly and the traveling public.
Work Zone Crash Statistics
