Fines for speeding in a Maryland work zone have doubled.
The new law, which went into effect Saturday, temporarily increases the $40 fine to $80 until official fees increase in 2025, which could be as high as $1,000.
The increase in zone speeding fees is in response to an accident on I-695 that killed six construction workers in March 2023.
Two vehicles traveling more than 100 miles per hour collided on I-695 in Woodlawn, north of Security Boulevard, sending one into a construction zone and striking the six construction workers.
The workers were pronounced dead at the scene and identified as Rolando Ruiz, 46, of Laurel; Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, 43, of Frederick; Jose Armando Escobar, 52, of Frederick; Mahlon Simmons III, 31, and his father, Mahlon Simmons II, 52, both of Union Bridge; and Sybil Lee Dimaggio, 46, of Glen Burnie.
One of the drivers received medical care, the other was reported to have no injuries.
Following this accident, Lt. Governor Aruna Miller and the Governor’s Work Zone Safety Work Group met in May 2023 to find ways to improve the safety of highway work zones. At their last meeting in November 2023, the group voted unanimously to forward recommendations to the governor, including plans to amend existing state law to allow the use of unmanned cameras in work zones and increase penalties for speeding in work zones .
In April, Governor Wes Moore signed the Maryland Road Worker Protection Act, a bill aimed at expanding the state’s speed camera program in work zones.
The bill, which went into effect Saturday, temporarily doubled the cost of fines. By January 2025, fines will range from $60 to $1,000. If a road worker is present, the fines are doubled.
Last year, the state reported 1,105 work zone accidents in 2023, for an average of about 3.5 accidents per day.
According to the Maryland State Highway Administration, as of April 2024, there have been 407 crashes, 310 damage-only crashes, 94 non-fatal injuries and three fatalities in work zones.
In addition to the new law, the Maryland Transportation Authority, BWI Marshall Airport and the Port of Baltimore have launched a traffic safety initiative to address causes of crashes, including aggressive, distracted and impaired driving.
Between Thursday and Friday, MDTA police officers conducted 457 traffic stops and issued a total of 756 citations, warnings and repair orders. Three drivers were charged with driving under the influence of drugs, while one driver was charged with drug offenses, and four drivers were arrested on open warrants.
