Governor Gretchen Whitmer has approved the use of cameras in construction zones, which will detect drivers exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph or more on state highways where workers are present.

This legislation has been championed by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), which has spent five years working on it following an alarming rise in fatalities in work zones.

"Just in 2023 alone, and we don't have 2024 data yet, but there were over 8,000 crashes within work zones, and there were 24 fatalities within work zones," said Lance Binoniemi, vice president of government affairs for MITA.

Binoniemi expressed hope that the introduction of cameras will help reduce these incidents.

The cameras will be placed in select work zones, with a warning sign placed one mile ahead of each camera to alert drivers.

"Cameras are only allowed to be in work zones that are on state highways where workers are present," Binoniemi explained.

If a camera catches a driver speeding 10 mph or more over the limit, the registered owner of the vehicle will receive a warning on the first offense. A second offense within three years carries a $150 fine, while a third offense results in a $300 fine.

Michigan joins 18 other states that have implemented similar measures.

"In Maryland alone, which is probably the poster child for this program, they saw an 85% reduction in the number of speeders in the first five years that they had the program," Binoniemi said.

The program, according to Binoniemi, has shown that repeat offenders are rare.

"No one wants to get a speeding ticket," he said. "No one wants to have to pay extra money, but I think when people understand that this is a real threat, they will change their behavior. That's what these bills are intended to do is just to change driver behavior to have drivers become more alert and to slow down."

Drivers like Ramiro Ojeda Duran, who was on the road in Michigan, said that the cameras would likely influence their behavior.

"If there is a camera and some law enforcement is looking at it, of course, I will slow down," Ojeda Duran said. "I already slow down due to the safety of the workers. So why doesn't everybody else?"

The Michigan Department of Transportation will partner with an outside vendor to manage the program. As the state moves through the contracting process, Binoniemi stated that it could take up to a year before the cameras are in place.

"They anticipate it could take them up to a year to get them up and running," Binoniemi said. "We're hopeful that they're in the next construction season, but certainly we expect them to be in the 2026 construction season for sure."