Senator Fuschillo Applauds New Protections For Highway Workers

Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (8th Senate District), a member of the Senate’s Transportation Committee, applauded the signing of a new law, which he supported in the Senate, that creates new protections for highway construction workers.

"Highway workers face the unusual challenge of performing their jobs in the middle of busy highways. When drivers disregard the speed limits and speed through a work zone, they are unnecessarily putting the workers’ lives at risk," said Senator Fuschillo. "This new law will go a long way towards protecting the safety of our highway workers by providing a strong deterrent to speeding in work zones."

The "Work Zone Safety Act of 2005", which was recently signed by Governor George Pataki, will increase penalties for people caught speeding in a highway work zone. Drivers who are caught speeding in a posted highway work zone will receive a mandatory fine, in addition to any other applicable penalties. Individuals convicted of two or more speeding violations in these areas will automatically receive a 60 day license suspension.

In addition, the law creates a new highway construction and maintenance safety education fund. This fund will pay for programs that provide education, advocacy and increased awareness of laws that deal with protecting the safety of highway construction and maintenance workers. In order to collect money for the fund, a mandatory surcharge will be imposed on individuals who violate work zone speeding restrictions.

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