Michigan Lawmakers Approve Automated Speeding Tickets in Construction Zones
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Speeding remains a major factor in deadly crashes, including in work zones. Michigan authorized camera enforcement in certain MDOT construction zones so that drivers who blow through an active zone can be identified by photo, not only by a roadside stop.
If you or a loved one is injured, hiring an experienced Michigan car accident attorney is the best way to protect your rights and pursue compensation.
Do You Have a Case?WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR SPEEDING IN A WORK ZONE?
MCL 257.627c (added by Public Act 164 of 2024) lets MDOT install automated speed enforcement in MDOT work zones that are not separated from traffic by concrete barriers. Camera authority began one year after the act’s April 2, 2025 effective date (April 2, 2026). Priority goes to active freeway zones with a speed limit of 45 mph or more. A warning sign is required about a mile ahead, and a display must show the measured speed of approaching vehicles.
The camera citation applies when a driver exceeds the posted limit by 10 mph or more in an active work zone while workers are present:
- First violation (or one more than three years after the last): written warning
- Second within three years: civil infraction, fine up to $150
- Third or later within three years: civil infraction, fine up to $300
These are mailed civil penalties, not the same as an officer writing a speeding ticket at the roadside. Ordinary work-zone speeding tickets from police still exist separately.
RISKY DRIVING BEHAVIORS CONTINUE
Speeding, failing to buckle up and aggressive driving did not disappear after the pandemic years. Michigan Traffic Crash Facts and MSP year-end figures still show too many preventable deaths.
Michigan recorded 1,099 traffic deaths in 2024 (1,095 in 2023). Speed was cited in 22,260 crashes and 177 deaths in 2024—about 16% of fatalities, not “10% of all crashes.”
IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHTS OF RECENT MICHIGAN CAR ACCIDENT STATISTICS
- 288,880 reported crashes in 2024
- 22,260 speed-related crashes; 177 speed-related deaths
- 6,731 construction-zone crashes
- Construction-zone deaths: 21 in 2023 and 24 in 2024
- Teen (ages 13–19) deaths: 66 in 2023 and 77 in 2024
- Motorcyclist deaths: 165 in 2023 and 168 in 2024
- Crashes involving drivers ages 60 and older: 77,013 in 2023 and 79,513 in 2024
- Alcohol-involved deaths: 297 in 2023 and 307 in 2024
If you or someone you love was hurt in a crash, talk to an experienced car accident attorney.
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