Remember, its not about the money.

IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES

Saturday, February 14, 2009 3:01 AM
By James Nash
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
By next year, driving through construction zones might give you something to watch out for other than concrete barriers, orange cones and work crews.

Soon, speed-triggered cameras might be peering at motorists and their license plates.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety this week briefed lawmakers on its proposal to install cameras in construction zones that would photograph speeders' license plates. Tickets would be mailed to the registered owners' homes.

Although public-safety officials introduced the idea as part of discussions on the state budget, they insisted yesterday that safety -- not money -- is the catalyst.

"We need to take every step necessary to ensure the safety of our highway work crews as well as motorists in our construction work zones," said Tom Hunter, a department spokesman. "The heart of this is safety."

There were 4,830 accidents and 13 fatalities in Ohio construction zones in 2008, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Hunter said state officials haven't finalized many of the details of the proposed cameras, such as how many would be purchased, the size of the fine for violators and how far over the speed limit a driver would have to go before being photographed. Most construction zones in Ohio have a posted speed limit of 45 mph and generally charge violators double the normal fine.

Officials hope to get approval for the devices by this summer and have the cameras activated by the summer of 2010, Hunter said.

The cameras have been catching on in other states.

Illinois was a pioneer, deploying speed cameras for the first time in 2006. Since then, other states including Washington and Wisconsin have used the devices in construction zones. Lawmakers in Maryland and Arizona approved the cameras last year.

In Illinois, more than 4,000 drivers were nabbed by the cameras in the first nine months. State police there credit the cameras with helping to reduce the number of construction-zone fatalities from 25 in 2005 to 21 in 2007.

Traffic-safety researchers in Illinois reported that cars reduced their average speeds by 7.87 miles per hour when cameras were present and trucks slowed down an average of 4.54 mph.

First-time offenders in Illinois are fined $375.