(WXMI) — On Tuesday, new laws were signed into place by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that could save the lives of thousands of roads workers.
Automated cameras will soon detect if you’re speeding in construction zones and maybe prevent tragedies.
HB 4132 and HB 4133 will work to create safer and more ideal conditions for construction workers under MDOT jurisdiction.
There will be a sign warning drivers of the cameras one mile before the start of the work zone, as well as automatically detecting a vehicle that exceeds the posted speed limit and take an image of the vehicle.
Rene Rangel, a Van Buren County Road Commission (VBCRC) worker, was struck and killed while working on site last year.
“I think we all have that day etched in our brains, and it'll never go away,” said Linea Raider, a Finance and Human Resources director for VBCRC. “He was just an outstanding person. You'd never hear him say a negative thing. He always had a joke, hard worker, just... and the perfect guy.”
It made what happened on March 3, 2023, that much harder. Rangel was struck and killed by a vehicle while at the construction site.
In an interview with FOX 17, Raider recalled that day and what led up to the incident.
“They called and had some issues with people disregarding the work zone,” Rangel said. “They came and blast them through. It was a horrible day.”
His incident is one that is unfortunately becoming common here in Michigan.
In 2023, there were more than 8,000 construction-zone-related crashes in the state, resulting in nearly 2,000 injuries and 24 zone fatalities.
Numbers like these are what prompted groups like Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), who fought for the newest Michigan laws signed into place on Tuesday.
“Over the past 5 to 10 years, we've seen a very large uptick in the number of accidents and the number of fatalities within construction zones,” said Lance Binoniemi, vice president of MITA. “That prompted our association and its members to look at other states, what they were doing to protect their workers.”
Michigan now becomes the 18th state in the country to adapt these automated camera systems, with data from other states backing up the associations fight for these laws.
“In Maryland, they saw an 85% drop in the number of speeders in the first five years of the program,” Binoniemi said. “There’s virtually no repeat offenders after you get caught once with a written warning.”
These laws are in place only when workers are present, but the consequences can make a driver think.
The law states that over a three-year period, if a driver is going more than 10 miles above the work zone speed limit, the first violation will only be a written warning.
The second violation results in a civil infraction with a fine of up to $150 for the driver, and the third violation is another civil infraction, but it could be hitting a little steeper with a fine up to $300.
But for the ones working the roads, they say it’s worth it because in the end it's all about getting home.
“We have begun closing roads more than posting ... lane closures, because people disregard them so much and our people are not safe,” said Raider. “Renee deserved that and unfortunately, he didn't get that. So hopefully, with these new laws, making sure people aren't speeding through work zones, hopefully we can at least prevent one more death.”
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