Safe Zones is being implemented to protect the lives of motorists and construction workers. Over the past decade, 269 people have been killed in crashes at Indiana highway worksites or in worksite backups. In 2023 alone, 33 people were killed and more than 1,750 injured in INDOT work zones. Four out of five people killed in work zones are either drivers or their passengers. Unsafe speeds are a common cause.

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 the work zone. 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 the data is validated, violations will be certified and issued to the owner of the vehicle by mail. The pilot program will begin with a pre-enforcement period, during which drivers will receive courtesy notices but will not be fined. After the pre-enforcement period is over, the first violation will result in a zero-fine warning, the second in a $75 civil penalty, and every violation thereafter a penalty of $150. In accordance with the statute, collected penalties 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.

The Safe Zones program was authorized by House Enrolled Act 1015 during the July 1, 2023 Indiana legislative session. The pilot program is expected to run through 2028.

Under state law, you may contest a Safe Zones violation. You will need to submit information showing that you did not own the vehicle or were not driving it at the time of the event, or that the vehicle was reported stolen (and not recovered) before the event occurred. Other defenses may be submitted if the system has not been properly tested for accuracy, certification, or calibration – or if workers were not present at the site at the time of the incident.

Signs will alert drivers of the posted speed limit and presence of worksite speed control technology in the work zone. Note that workers must be present at the site at the time of the event for any violation to be valid.

Yes. In some situations, workers may not be visible to passing drivers due to their location within the work zone or the type of work being performed. Crews operating behind barriers are also considered to be active workers at the site.

The violation is considered a civil penalty, therefore no points will be assessed.

Collected penalties will go into the state's General Fund.

Under state law, the system must undergo an annual calibration check by an independent laboratory. The lab is required to certify that the check was performed and that the system is accurately calibrated.

Photos or recorded images obtained through the Safe Zones system may only be used for enforcing a traffic offense under the program. The images are the exclusive property of the state and not the manufacturer or vendor of the program. State law dictates that they must be destroyed within two years of the date they were taken. The images may not be disclosed to anyone other than the owner or driver of the vehicle at the time of the event, their attorney, a law enforcement officer, INDOT, a person administering the system, or a court of law.

Yes. Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Illinois have permanent programs. Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Connecticut, and New York also have pilot programs. In work zones where deployed, automated speed enforcement has been effective in slowing traffic, evidenced by the drop in violations issued at these work zones.