The District would be the last jurisdiction in the nation to increase penalties for drivers who disobey traffic laws in work zones under legislation unanimously adopted Tuesday by a D.C. Council committee.
Ward 1 Council Member Jim Graham, chair of the public works and environment committee, introduced the bill in February to further address the problem of speeding, particularly along busy commuter corridors.
The District has had a steady decrease in work-zone crashes in recent years — 398 in 2004, 311 in 2005 and 286 last year — but two involved a fatality and roughly 25 percent an injury.
“People are in a big hurry,” Graham said, and the hazard is even greater in work zones, where construction workers mingle with pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. On Monday, Graham said he watched a car “fly by” a construction worker holding a stop sign.
“Amazing behaviors that you witness,” the council member said. “This puts at risk of life and limb the people who live in our neighborhoods.”
The bill would double the fines for basic motor-vehicle infractions committed in a construction or work zone.
In the case of a criminal violation, the fine would be one category higher. There are currently about 175 work zones citywide, according to the District Department of Transportation.
All 50 state departments of transportation provide for some measure of increased penalty for work-zone infractions. Virginia limits additional fines to $500, and Maryland drivers could pay up to $1,000 more. At least 31 states allow for doubled fines.
It is “high time that we had penalties that equal those of other jurisdictions,” Ward 3 Council Member Mary Cheh said.
AAA Mid-Atlantic also strongly supports the bill, a spokesman said.
In testimony before the council, DDOT Director Emeka Moneme said the additional fines will work well with other soon-to-be implemented policies, including a bilingual work-zone pocket guide for non-English-speaking construction workers, new standards to allow covered walkways and passable sidewalks in work zones, and work-zone safety and mobility guidelines.
