Date:  Friday, September 05, 2008

Contact: Ted Trepanier, WSDOT State Traffic Engineer (360) 705-7280 (Olympia)
Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications (360) 705-7080 (Olympia)

CHEHALIS – Drivers on I-5 through Southwest Washington will see a new tool to keep drivers, passengers and roadway workers safe.

The Washington State Department of Transportation launches a pilot project Sept. 15 utilizing automated speed enforcement cameras to cite motorists driving too fast through construction work zones. The first camera location is the I-5 work zone south of Chehalis.

“Along with our Washington State Patrol partners, we place a high priority on highway safety,” said Ted Trepanier, WSDOT State Traffic Engineer at a kick-off event Friday in Chehalis. “We want speeds to go down, which will make work zones safer for drivers and our crews. The automated traffic safety cameras are just part of the highway safety program.”

Photos of the kick-off event, including the SUV unit and accompanying highway signs, will be available later today at: www.flickr.com/wsdot.

The automated traffic safety cameras are mounted in a small sport utility vehicle parked next to the highway. Starting Monday, Sept. 15, an operator will check the equipment and then the speed radar and camera goes to work, catching the rear license plate of vehicles speeding through the work zone. A $137 citation is then mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner.

Drivers may see crews testing the SUV next week.

The cameras are just part of WSDOT’s “Give ‘Em A Brake” program, to promote the protection of workers out on the job. But you can also give yourself a break by driving carefully in the work zone. Remember that it takes approximately 200 feet for you to stop your car when you’re traveling at 60 mph.

Between 2001 and 2006, work zone collisions increased by nearly 60 percent, from only 686 in 2001 to 1,097 in 2006. The top two reasons for work zone crashes are speeding and inattentive driving. And, the majority of work zone deaths and injuries are drivers and passengers – accounting for 99 percent of the total in 2006.

For more information on the program, a question and answer section and public feedback form, please visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/safety/ATSC. To read more facts and tips on driving through a work zone, please visit our “Give ‘Em A Brake” Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/Brake/.

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