OLYMPIA, Wash.- The Washington State Senate passed a bill on Feb. 12 introducing a graduated penalty structure for speeding tickets involving highway work zones.
SB 6115 concerns the state’s use of automated safety cameras in highway work zones. When highway workers are active, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) utilizes speeding enforcement cameras in the area surrounding the highway workers.
Under current state law, anyone who is accused of speeding due to footage captured by a WSDOT camera is sent a ticket for a speeding infraction regardless of whether workers were active at the time. If signed into law, the bill would only allow for tickets to be sent if a person was found to be speeding while highway workers were actually in the work zone.
In addition to that change, the penalty for such an infraction has also changed to a graduated system. An initial speeding violation caught by a WSDOT camera would result in the person accused of speeding receiving a $0 ticket which would act as a warning. Any additional infractions would incur a $248 penalty.
The Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support. It now awaits introduction in the House.
