Kentucky is rolling out new automated speed enforcement in highway work zones after a law passed earlier this year.

How it works: Starting this summer and fall, cameras will be set up in select work zones. Officers will be waiting just past the construction area to make stops. If a driver is seen speeding on camera when workers are present, they will get a ticket in person—no tickets are mailed.

• The fine for speeding in these zones goes up to $500.
• More locations are expected across the state in the years to come.

Why now: Kentucky had over 1,200 crashes in work zones last year. Seven people died and nearly 300 more were hurt.

The law: House Bill 664, also called the Jared Lee Helton Act, made the new enforcement possible. The law is named after a highway worker killed on the job.

• “Our goal is not to issue tickets,” Major Eric Walker with Kentucky State Police said. “We want to ensure safe speeds, to prevent fatalities and protect both motorists and construction crews.”

The speed camera program will begin with limited locations before expanding throughout Kentucky.