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Pre-enforcement period for Safe Zones begins this week on I-465, I-69 in Clear Path work zone

Monday, December 30, 2024 at 10:18 AM

By Staff report

When a vehicle is determined to be traveling 11 mph or more than the posted speed limit, the system will capture an image of the vehicle’s rear license plate. After data is validated, violations will be certified and issued to the owner of the vehicle by mail.

Starting on or after Wednesday, INDOT’s worksite speed control pilot program, known as Safe Zones, will be deployed in the current Clear Path I-465/I-69 construction zone on the northeast side of Indianapolis.               

The program was authorized by House Enrolled Act 1015 during the 2023 legislative session to protect the lives of motorists and road workers across the Hoosier state. By statute, INDOT may deploy Safe Zones at up to four sites at any given time

Deployment will begin with a minimum 30-day pre-enforcement warning period during which drivers will receive courtesy notices via mail. The active site on I-70 in Hancock County will be discontinued.

Here’s how Indiana Safe Zones works:

Signs will be posted as motorists enter and exit worksites notifying them that speed limits are being monitored by an automated system.

The system will monitor the speed of vehicles using speed timing devices as they pass through work zones. When a vehicle is determined to be traveling 11 mph or more than the posted speed limit, the system will capture an image of the vehicle’s rear license plate. After data is validated, violations will be certified and issued to the owner of the vehicle by mail.

After the pre-enforcement period ends, the first violation will result in a zero-fine warning, the second in a $75 civil fine, and every violation thereafter a fine of $150. In accordance with the statute, collected fines 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 incidence of worksite-related crashes, fatalities and injuries were at their lowest in more than 10 years. In the first year that Pennsylvania began continuously enforcing its program, it saw a more than 19% drop in worksite crashes. The first four months of INDOT’s pre-enforcement launch of the program show more than a 70% decrease in excessive speeding.

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 will share annual reports throughout the five-year pilot program with members of the Indiana General Assembly and the traveling public. To learn more about Indiana Safe Zones, including active locations and answers to frequently asked questions, visit SafeZonesIN.com.

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