CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia House of Delegates took another step to improve work zone safety along the state’s highways. HB 4538 was unanimously approved in the House on Wednesday.
The bill would increase fines for those cited for going 15 miles an hour or less over the speed limit from $200 to $500, and for 15 miles an hour and over, the fines jump from $200 to $1,000. Maximum jail time for the misdemeanor increases from 20 to 30 days.
“We as an industry, unfortunately, have had three fatalities on the private side and one on the public side where speed was a factor,” said Jason Pizatella, West Virginia Contractors Association President and CEO.
In December, a man was killed when he crashed into construction equipment on Route 340 in Jefferson County. Last September, a construction worker in Cabell County was killed on I-64 and in Jefferson County, a highway flagger was killed in a work zone crash in April, 2024.
The increased fines for speeding are the second part of a three-part strategy to improve safety in work zones and slow vehicles down.
Last year, the legislature approved a bill amending the “Move Over Act,” which required drivers to treat construction vehicles like emergency vehicles and yield the right of way and move over a lane for construction vehicles.
The third part of that strategy is to utilize technology to assist in enforcing traffic laws in highway work zones.
“Whether it is cameras or some other innovative way for our officers to enforce the posted speed limits,” said Pizatella.
Surrounding states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland already utilize camera technology to enforce traffic laws. Pizatella added that there are cameras watching work zones, but they are not currently being used for traffic enforcement. He hopes to propose legislation to use cameras in West Virginia next year.
“What we’ve asked the legislature to do is not to turn into DC or Maryland or Pennsylvania, where citations are automatic. You still have to have that interaction and traffic stop initiated by a law enforcement officer. All it would do is give law enforcement one additional tool to enforce speed limits that are already there,” explained Pizatella.
The bill will now be considered by the Senate.