Michigan one step closer to adding cameras to catch speeders in construction zones

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Cameras that automatically send tickets to people speeding in construction zones could be coming to Michigan.

The Senate voted Thursday to approve the addition of these cameras on roads where crews are working.

Under the bills, if drivers are flagged going 10 mph or more over the speed limit, they will first get a warning. If they are caught speeding in a work zone again, a ticket would then be mailed to the vehicle owner's residence.

The "yes" vote from the Senate came the day after a construction worker was fatally struck while working on I-75 in Detroit.

"We are not looking to catch people in a gotcha moment. This is about safety, this is about saving people’s lives," state Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) said of the bill.

The measure is modeled off a similar law that went into law in Maryland, he said.

"What they found was over a three-year span, they found that speeding was reduced by 80%, and they found fatalities due to accidents in these work zones were down by 50%," Koleszar said.

According to data from the state, there were 8,017 crashes in work zones in 2023, an 8% increase from the year prior. Of those crashes, 24 people were killed.

The bills now head back to the House for final approval before it heads to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk.