House backs pilot for automated traffic enforcement in work zones with data limits, civil fines and vendor controls

The Vermont House considered Senate Bill 184, a bill authorizing a temporary automated traffic law enforcement (ATLE) pilot targeted at highway work zones.

The committee presenter described a strike‑all amendment that defines ATLE as a device that measures vehicle speed and captures only rear license‑plate images of vehicles speeding more than 10 miles per hour over the posted limit for construction zones. The measure requires conspicuous signage at ATLE sites, daily contractor logs, engineering analyses of sites, third‑party contracting under state law, and strict limits on data use: images and data may be accessed only by law‑enforcement agencies for determining civil violations and must be destroyed after 12 months.

The bill imposes a civil‑penalty structure for the pilot: a first offense is a warning ($0), a second offense after 30 days carries an $80 penalty, and third and subsequent offenses are $160; penalties are civil and do not assign points or information to insurance companies. The presenter emphasized the program is intended as a safety pilot not a revenue generator: "This bill is not designed to raise revenue. It is a safety bill." The agency of transportation would seek a Federal Highway Administration grant to fund the pilot (a 90/10 federal/state split was noted) and report evaluation data to the Legislature during the pilot.

The House proposed the committee's amendment to the Senate and ordered third reading.