Slow down in work zones to save lives

Last month, two cars collided while going too fast through a work zone on Interstate 695 in Maryland. One vehicle hurtled through a gap in a concrete barrier and killed six members of a highway crew, including two brothers, and a father and his son, all residents of that region together on the job.

According to the National Safety Council, work-zone crashes killed 857 people in the U.S. and injured 44,240 in 2020. Since 2010, work-zone deaths have increased 46%. With officials properly under public pressure to do more to protect these crews, this is the right time to act — especially because work sites are proliferating under new federal infrastructure laws.

On Long Island, the state has launched its first work-zone speed camera program, promising a persuasive measure of potentially lifesaving enforcement. Despite some people's knee-jerk reflex to call it a government “cash grab,” the terms of the program appear nothing if not reasonable. The trigger for a ticket is driving more than 10 miles per hour faster than the posted speed limit. That’s enough of a cushion to avoid fines since posted speed limits aren’t supposed to be just suggestions.

The 30 mobile units across the state, with mounted cameras, are expected to take photos of all motorists on state highways who speed through work zones. But again — the driver must hit the higher, established speed above the zone limit to draw an automatically generated fine. And the units will only operate when workers are present in the zones, according to the state Department of Transportation. 

Warning signs are posted. And there's a grace period. For the first 30 days, violators will receive only warnings in the mail. After that, fines begin at $50, go to $75 for a second offense, and then $100 for the third or more, all within 18 months of the first violation.

True, more expensive fines have been wrongly issued on Long Island in recent years by certain school-bus and red-light cameras. But those problems are unique; the logistics for this program are far simpler. From what we can tell, you simply won’t have to worry about being cited unless you go too fast.

Those who dislike the idea of any photo surveillance on highways better get used to it. They’re not photographing drivers or auto interiors. And remember: It's illegal to try to block electronic plate-readers using license-plate covers. As stated here before, speed cameras might be the way to start chipping away at crazed driving outside the zones, especially that which afflicts the Southern State Parkway.

For their part, state officials should take extra care to avoid, or quickly squelch, the issuance of wrongful fines. That means ensuring the technology works properly. Bad tickets would feed the false savvy of the “cash grab” chorus.

As ever, excessive speed kills — whether in construction zones or beyond.

CORRECTION: The state's work-zone speed camera program includes 30 mobile units across the state, not solely on Long Island as indicated in an earlier version of this editorial.