Drivers will see a small SUV or van similar to the one above in work zones where WSDOT is using Automated Traffic Safety Camera for speed enforcement.

An operator will send license plate photos of speeding drivers to the Washington State Patrol. An infraction will come in the mail.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) received Legislative approval (see sec. 220) for a pilot project to put Automated Traffic Safety Cameras (ATSC) in work zones.

WSDOT believes the speed enforcement cameras will slow drivers to make work zones safer for workers, drivers and passengers.

We encourage citizens to send WSDOT comments
on the program.

How does it work?

WSDOT launched the initial ATSC pilot project September 15, 2008 in a Chehalis work zone.

Located in an SUV within an active work zone, the ATSC radar and camera unit records the speed and photographs the rear license plate of vehicles speeding through the work zone. An operator monitors the system and forwards violator information to the Washington State Patrol (WSP).

The WSP then checks the vehicle registration, forwards the information to the local court system and the vehicle's registered owner receives a $137 citation. 

From September 15 to  October 24, 2008, the SUV was active in the Chehalis 60 m.p.h. work zone. More than 1,400 violations were issued, there were zero traffic incidents and 90 percent of drivers were traveling less than 70 m.p.h.

From May 4 to June 30, 2009 the cameras were used in the construction zone south of Olympia near Grand Mound. More than 1,900 infractions were issued.

The initial pilot deployment ended June 30, 2009. The legislature granted an extension to June 30, 2011.

WSDOT expects to deploy the system in Fall 2010; the location to be determined. When active, signs (as seen above right) notify drivers of camera enforcement through the work zone.

Lower speeds means less collisions and less congestion

Speed is the number one reason for collisions in Washington. In 2008, speeding drivers caused more than 24,000 traffic incidents on state highways.

There are close to 2,000 traffic incidents each year in state highway work zones. While the high-profile incidents are decreasing, those smaller incidents that block traffic and cause minor injuries keep going up.

Between 2003 and 2008, work zone collisions increased by close to 30 percent, from 1,412 in 2003 to 2,066 in 2008. The top two reasons for work zone crashes are speeding and inattentive driving. And, one of the top collision types in work zones is the rear-end collision during daylight hours.

Slow Down: Protect the worker, yourself and your pocketbook

WSDOT's Give 'em a Brake program may focus on worker safety and how drivers should watch out for workers, but the majority of work zone fatalities and injuries are drivers and passengers (non-workers) - accounting for 99 percent of the total in 2008.

Injuries to driver and passenger injuries in work zones have increased by close to 30 percent since 2003, while there was only one flagger/roadway worker killed on a state highway from 2003 to 2008.

As the weather warms and more workers are out on Washington's roadways, the incidents increase each month - with more incidents in August than any other month.

Tips for Driving in a Work Zone:

• Observe the speed limit (60 mph) and don’t do anything except drive while you’re in the work zone.
• Don’t use your cell phone
• Don’t eat or drink
• Don’t change CD’s or radio stations
• Don’t tailgate! Leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front of you.

To read more facts and tips on driving through a work zone, please visit our “Give ‘Em A Brake” website.

For more information, contact: Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications, (360) 705-7080.