More than 1,300 crashes in work zones resulted in 185 injuries and seven deaths in Kentucky last year alone.
To slow drivers down, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is rolling out speed cameras that will trigger real-time responses from law enforcement.
"They will monitor speeds using radar and will communicate that data, as well as camera photos of the vehicles, to law enforcement officers that will be situated on past the work zone to consider making a traffic stop," KTC spokesman Alan Blair explains.
Two important things to know: Violators caught speeding will be issued citations on the spot, not through tickets via text or email. And the zones using the cameras will be marked with signs and flashing lights.
"You will not get a ticket through the mail. It will be a a live traffic stop," he says.
As for where and how many camera outfitted sites to expect, Blair says that number will grow over time.
"As we ramp up the program over the next several years, we expect to see a lot more," Blair reports. "This fall, we may only have a handful of locations using this, and we do plan to introduce this in the Lexington area and Louisville area."
The new cameras were approved by the General Assembly this year in House Bill 664 or the Jared Lee Helton Act, named after a highway worker killed in a work zone accident.
To learn more, visit https://kentuckyhighwaysafety.com/work-zone-safety/.