Vehicles exceeding the speed limit would be identified by an automated system and fined $75 for the first violation and $125 for subsequent violations within a three-year period.
The bill is named for a Salyersville man who was killed on the job in a work zone car crash near Memphis in 2019.
Critics of the bill, like Representative John Hodgson, voiced opposition to automated enforcement.
“We’re going to have severe concerns about having a computer issue the ticket," said Hodgson. "As representative Robert spoke, the proliferation of this type of technology to every speeding situation, every red light, can happen at a tremendous pace.”
Representative John Blanton, the bill’s sponsor, said drivers would be warned of the presence of cameras.
“It would require that there be signage put in place that these cameras are there and that you may be ticketed if you’re speeding in this work zone," explained Blanton. "There would also be a grace, if you will, of ten miles an hour over. the citation would not be a typical citation that you currently receive from a trooper or a police officer that goes through district court; it would be a civil penalty, therefore it doesn’t go against your driving record, and it does not include court costs.”
A second, similar bill sponsored by Blanton also passed the committee. HB193 seeks to improve the safety of highway work zones through higher fines for reckless and negligent driving - without the aid of automation.