Speed cameras could soon be coming to Michigan construction zones, along with an automated system to dole out tickets to motorists who break the law with workers nearby.

The Michigan Senate approved two bills with amendments on Thursday that initially passed the House more than a year ago, and the legislation now heads back to the lower chamber for a concurrence vote.

The bills, sponsored by Muskegon Democratic Rep. Will Snyder and Linden Republican Rep. Mike Mueller, would amend current Michigan law that requires a police officer to actually witness traffic violations before issuing a citation, would allow the Michigan Department of Transportation to dole out fines in construction zones using speed cameras and an automated ticketing system.

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The legislation would require MDOT to post signs warning about the speed cameras, which would trigger tickets for vehicles going at least 10 mph over the speed limit in a work zone with workers present, WILX reports.

Violations would result in a warning, followed by a $150 ticket for a second offense, and a $300 ticket for a third ticket within three years. MDOT would issue citations to the person registered as the owner of the vehicle, regardless of who is actually driving.

If approved, the law would require the owner to testify in court if they were not the driver.

“The presumption is rebutted if the registered owner of the vehicle files an affidavit by regular mail with the clerk of the court stating that the registered owner was not the operator of the vehicle at the time of the alleged violation or testifies in open court under oath that the registered owner was not the operator of the vehicle at the time of the alleged violation,” House Bill 4132 reads.

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A companion bill, House Bill 4133, amends current law to allow for the automated fines.

“I think this is a slippery slope toward governance by automated systems and not by people,” Sen, Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, told The Detroit News.

Both support and opposition to the bills is bipartisan, with 17 Democrats and four Republicans voting to approve the legislation on Thursday.

The vote came just a day after a construction worker was struck and killed by a motorist on I-75 in Detroit, one of dozens of such deaths in recent years. Last year, a total of 8,018 construction zone crashes resulted in 1,896 injuries and 24 fatalities, according to Michigan State Police data cited by The News.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows there were 21 fatalities in 2021, 14 in 2020, 17 in 2019, 16 in 2018, and 25 in 2017.

“We are not looking to catch people in a gotcha moment,” state Rep. Matt Koleszar, D-Plymouth, told WJBK. “This is about safety, this is about saving people’s lives.”

Koleszar and others point to 17 other states that already allow for automated speed enforcement zones, noting results in Maryland following a law change there.

If approved, Michigan would join 17 other states that already allow for automated speed enforcement zones, and proponents are pointing to Maryland as an example.

“What they found was over a three-year span, they found that speeding was reduced by 80%, and they found fatalities due to accidents in these work zones were down by 50%,” Koleszar said.

The Michigan legislation is backed by Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, which lobbies for construction companies in Lansing.

“Construction sites are dangerous places, especially when working on the side of highways with traffic moving at high rates of speed and distracted driving,” MITA Executive Vice President Rob Coppersmith said. “By adding automated speed cameras to construction zones, we can help protect our construction workers by strictly enforcing work zone speed limits.”

The bills are now in the state House awaiting final approval, though it’s unclear whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will sign the legislation into law.

Spokesperson Bobby Leddy told The News the governor is monitoring the bills.

After Democrats lost the House majority in Tuesday’s elections, it’s expected they will push through their priority bills before the end of the year, such as this one.