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Committee advances AB 289 to allow automated speed enforcement in active highway construction zones
Summary
AB 289 would authorize automated speed-enforcement systems in active highway construction zones to reduce crashes and protect workers; the Transportation Committee passed the bill after broad labor and contractor support and some law-enforcement and civil-liberty concerns were raised.
AB 289, a bill to permit automated speed-enforcement systems in active highway construction zones, was advanced by the California State Assembly Transportation Committee.
Assemblymember Haney, the bill's author, told the committee that vehicle intrusions into highway construction zones have killed and seriously injured workers and cited data he said shows five work fatalities and 19 serious injuries in the last three years related to vehicles entering work zones. He said other states that have used automated enforcement in work zones saw reductions in crashes and speeding violations.
Support came from a broad coalition of construction employers and unions. "We owe it to the men and women working on the highways to do everything we can to ensure they go home safely to their loved ones," Mike Gelati, president and CEO of Gelati Brothers, said in testimony. James Thorewacker, legislative advocate for the California State Council of Laborers, told the committee the measure is intended to change driving behavior rather than punish drivers.
Committee members who spoke generally supported the bill but emphasized the measure is intended to supplement, not replace, manned enforcement by the California Highway Patrol. Some members pressed that manned CHP enforcement remains essential, and Assemblymember Lackey argued enforcement by officers is a preferable accountability mechanism and raised concerns about shifting criminal enforcement to civil camera citations.
The committee recorded a motion to pass the bill moved by Assemblymember Herbedian and seconded by Assemblymember Rogers. The measure was advanced out of committee; the consolidated roll call later recorded the vote as 15 ayes and 1 no, and the bill was referred to the next committee.
Supporters asked for continued engagement with remaining groups that opposed the concept, but the committee action moves the bill forward for additional consideration.
