INDOT to expand Safe Zones program to Lake County
'Safety is the driving force behind this program,' said Secretary of Transportation Matt Ubelhor in a news release. 'We want everyone to go home to their loved ones at the end of the day.'
The Indiana Department of Transportation will expand its Safe Zones program. The program enforcement will include a truck and cameras in an I-65 construction zone between mile markers 235 and 239, said INDOT spokeswoman Cassandra Bajek.
'If you've driven on I-65, you've probably seen some of the signage go up,' Bajek said. 'That's alerting people to the fact that it will be a speed-enforced work zone with cameras.'
Safe Zones was created after the passage of House Enrolled Act 1015 during the 2023 Indiana legislative session. Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, created the legislation and required INDOT to start a program to enforce worksite speed limits.
INDOT started the program in 2024 in Hancock County near Indianapolis, Bajek said. The department only issued fine warnings, she added.
Safe Zones has been active in a work zone on Interstate 465 and Interstate 69 since May.
The Safe Zones program can only be used at four locations statewide, and Bajek said it could be used at other Northwest Indiana locations in the future.
When a vehicle drives faster than 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, the Safe Zones system will capture a photo of the license plate. The first incident will lead to a no-fine warning, the second will be a $75 civil penalty and every violation after will be $150. Collected money goes to the state's general fund, according to the Safe Zones website.
'We're not trying to make as much money as possible for INDOT,' Bajek said. 'For us, the goal is not about raising money through fines. The goal is to have people slow down and to save lives, and that's what we're hoping to see through this program.'
So far, the data for Safe Zones has been promising, Bajek said Monday. INDOT also has looked at data from other states, including Maryland and Pennsylvania, which she said have also shown results.
License plate data is only collected to issue fines for speeding and will not be utilized for other potential offenses, Bajek said.
Cameras for the program are located on trucks in the work zone, she said, and are not located on the interstate.
'Those are all to monitor real-time traffic conditions,' Bajek said. 'Those do not have the capability to track speed or take a picture of someone's license plate.'
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