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Caldwell principal and contractors urge stronger penalties after student injuries and a worker fatality
Summary
A Caldwell High School principal and traffic‑control contractors urged lawmakers to adopt H570 after students were struck in crosswalks and a contractor's employee was killed in a work zone; witnesses said stronger penalties and enforcement deter dangerous driving.
Two emotional testimonies underscored the human toll driving advocates say H570 would address.
Janelle Kelly, principal at Caldwell High School, testified virtually that two students were struck in crosswalks near campus last winter. "Their lives at Caldwell High School were forever changed," she said, describing one student who required seven hours of surgery and cannot walk for months. "I am asking you to keep our children safe." (Janelle Kelly)
Kinsey Thatcher, owner of Roadwork Ahead Traffic Services, described 12 years in traffic control and said her company had lost an employee killed while working on the freeway. Thatcher told the committee motorists increasingly travel "20 to 30 miles an hour over the posted work‑zone speed limits," reducing reaction time and undermining traffic control designs. "Allowing law enforcement officers to apply enhanced penalties for speeding in work zones gives them a meaningful tool to slow drivers down and change their behaviors." (Kinsey Thatcher)
Both witnesses supported giving officers clearer statutory options while committee members asked staff to clarify drafting to ensure the law targets active, present hazards rather than inactive cones or signage alone. The committee later referred H570 to General Orders for that drafting work.
