UPDATE (April 22, 2025)
Transportation officials will begin enforcing penalties for speeding in construction zones in Indiana.
A pre-enforcement warning period is already underway in the Clear Path I-465/I-69 construction zone on the northeast side of Indianapolis. Anyone driving 11 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit in specific work zones will be mailed a violation notice. The first violation gets a warning, the second violation is a $75 ticket, and the third violation is a $150 ticket.
Penalties start being issued for Indiana Safe Zone on May 5th.
INDOT released the following:
Drivers will soon receive penalties for speeding in construction zones as part of Safe Zones, Indiana’s worksite speed control pilot program. Enforcement will begin on or after Monday, May 5, in the Clear Path I-465/I-69 construction zone on the northeast side of Indianapolis.
A pre-enforcement warning period began at this location in early 2025. Since that time, 90,000 courtesy notices have been sent.
“It’s crucial for drivers to slow down in work zones,” said INDOT Commissioner Lyndsay Quist. “Speeding in work zones puts construction crews, drivers, and their passengers at risk of injury or even death. Driver behavior, such as speeding, is a recurring factor in work zone crashes and incidents. The Safe Zones program is another tool at our disposal to make work zones safer for everyone.”
Safe Zones was authorized by the Indiana General Assembly during the 2023 legislative session through House Enrolled Act 1015. By statute, INDOT may deploy Safe Zones at up to four sites at any given time. Clear Path on the northeast side of Indianapolis is currently the only active site. Additional sites, to be announced later, will begin with immediate enforcement. The program aims to protect the lives of motorists and road workers by slowing drivers down and reducing crashes in work zones.
“We want to keep drivers safe on the road, the same as we want to keep road crews safe in work zones,” said Secretary of Transportation and Infrastructure Matt Ubelhor. “We urge drivers to not only slow down, but also wear their seatbelts, and avoid distractions — lives depend on it.”
Drivers traveling 11 mph or more over the posted speed limit in specified work zones will receive a violation notice via mail. Penalties will be assessed as follows:
- First violation: zero-fine warning
- Second violation: $75 civil fine
- Third and subsequent violations: $150 civil fine
How Safe Zones Work
The system documents vehicle speeds using truck-mounted speed timing devices as they pass through work zones. When a vehicle is traveling 11 mph or more than the posted speed limit, the system captures an image of the vehicle’s rear license plate. After data is validated, violations are certified and issued to the owner of the vehicle by mail. In accordance with state statute, collected fines go into the state’s General Fund.
Signs are posted to notify drivers entering and exiting active worksites that speeds are being monitored by an automated system. Workers must be present at the time of an event for a violation to be valid. Click here for a short video about the program.
Work Zone Safety
Over the past decade, 269 people have been killed in crashes in highway worksites or worksite backups in Indiana. In 2024 alone, 30 people were killed and more than 1,500 were injured in work zones in Indiana. The majority of people injured or killed in work zones are drivers or their passengers.
Similar programs in other states have significantly improved work zone safety. Two years after Maryland launched its program, speeding violations in construction sites fell by more than 80%, and incidence of worksite-related crashes, fatalities, and injuries was at its lowest in more than 10 years. In the first year that Pennsylvania began continuously enforcing its program, it saw a more than 19% drop in worksite crashes. The first four months of INDOT’s pre-enforcement warning period (courtesy notices only) show a more than 70% decrease in excessive speeding.
INDOT will share annual reports throughout the five-year pilot program with members of the Indiana General Assembly and the traveling public. To learn more about Indiana Safe Zones, including active locations and answers to frequently asked questions, visit SafeZonesIN.com.
ORIGINAL STORY:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (ADAMS) – Starting on or after Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, the Indiana Department of Transportation’s worksite speed control pilot program, Safe Zones, will be deployed in the current Clear Path I-465/I-69 construction zone on the northeast side of Indianapolis.
Once the program is in effect, you could receive a warning or a ticket through the mail after a camera captures your vehicle.
INDOT released the following details:
The program was authorized by House Enrolled Act 1015 during the 2023 legislative session to protect the lives of motorists and road workers across the Hoosier state. By statute, INDOT may deploy Safe Zones at up to four sites at any given time.
Deployment will begin with a minimum 30-day pre-enforcement warning period during which drivers will receive courtesy notices via mail. The active site on I-70 in Hancock County will be discontinued later this month.
“Speed continues to be a problem in the Clear Path work zone,” said INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith. “We’re consistently seeing speeds in excess of 60, 70 or even 80-plus miles per hour, putting construction crews and other drivers at risk of injury or even death. Our goals are to slow drivers down, reduce crashes and most importantly, save lives.”
Over the past decade, 269 people have been killed in crashes in highway worksites or in worksite backups in Indiana. In 2023 alone, 33 people were killed and more than 1,750 were injured in INDOT work zones.
Four out of five people killed in work zones are either drivers or their passengers.
Here’s how Indiana Safe Zones works:
Signs will be posted as motorists enter and exit worksites notifying them that speed limits are being monitored by an automated system.
The system will monitor the speed of vehicles using speed timing devices as they pass through work zones. When a vehicle is determined to be traveling 11 mph or more than the posted speed limit, the system will capture an image of the vehicle’s rear license plate. After data is validated, violations will be certified and issued to the owner of the vehicle by mail.
After the pre-enforcement period ends, the first violation will result in a zero-fine warning, the second in a $75 civil fine, and every violation thereafter a fine of $150. In accordance with the statute, collected fines will go into the state’s General Fund.
Workers must be present at the site at the time of the event for violations to be valid.
Similar programs in other states have significantly improved work zone safety. Two years after Maryland launched its program, speeding violations in construction sites fell by more than 80% and incidence of worksite-related crashes, fatalities and injuries were at their lowest in more than 10 years. In the first year that Pennsylvania began continuously enforcing its program, it saw a more than 19% drop in worksite crashes. The first four months of INDOT’s pre-enforcement launch of the program show more than a 70% decrease in excessive speeding.
Data collected by Indiana Safe Zones will be used strictly for this program and will not be used for surveillance or other law enforcement purposes. INDOT will share annual reports throughout the five-year pilot program with members of the Indiana General Assembly and the traveling public. To learn more about Indiana Safe Zones, including active locations and answers to frequently asked questions, visit SafeZonesIN.com.
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