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Panel advances reckless-driving change for active school and construction zones
Summary
H 570aa would classify driving 20 mph or more over the limit in active school or construction zones as reckless driving (misdemeanor) when children or workers are present; supporters said it offers needed enforcement tools to protect students and road crews.
Senator Keyser presented H 570aa, which would add driving 20 miles per hour or more over the posted limit in an active school zone or active construction zone to the statutory definition of reckless driving. The bill defines 'active' as situations where children or workers are present and visible and is intended to provide law enforcement with a clear enforcement tool for dangerous speeding near vulnerable people.
Kinsey Thatcher, owner of Road Work Ahead Traffic Services, testified in support and cited a dozen years of field experience observing repeated speeding in work zones, including crashes and a worker fatality, and described speeding as often 20–30 mph over posted limits. Senator Lent asked about existing penalties and downstream consequences of a reckless-driving record; Senator Keyser said reckless driving remains a misdemeanor under the statute and did not change the misdemeanor classification itself.
