In 2023, six construction workers were killed in a crash on the Baltimore Beltway in Woodlawn, Maryland.[1] Investigation indicated that a car, going more than 100 mph, entered a work zone on the beltway, striking workers on the job.[2] Over the course of the same year, Maryland drivers crashed into more than 1,200 work zones, causing eight deaths.[3] In response to these tragedies, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Maryland Road Worker Protection Act to protect contractual workers on the roads.[4]

On April 9, 2024, as part of the act, Governor Wes Moore approved revisions to the laws governing work zone speed control in the state.[5] The first half of the law took effect in June 2024, increasing civil penalties for speeding from $40 to $80. [6] The other half of the law took effect at the start of January 2025, and fines for speeding in work zones increased.[7]  The law lists fines for speed camera violations as the following: (1) between 12 and 15 mph, $60; (2) between 16 and 19mph, $80; (3) between 30 and 39 mph, $270; and (4) 40 mph or more, $500.[8] If workers are present in the work zone during the speeding, the respective fine will double.[9]

In his testimony before a House committee in support of the Act, highway worker, Howard Bostic, expressed that he nearly “missed being hit by a car going 70mph in a wok zone on Interstate 83.”[10] Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller noted that “for the people who work on these sites, it’s not a matter of if they will experience a crash on their job site, it’s a matter of when.”[11]

The Governor’s Work Zone Safety Work Group provided recommendations to improve road safety and courtesy in support of the Act.[12] The group noted that all Maryland drivers should work on “giving construction workers and other drivers ample space,” “remaining calm in traffic, refrain[ing] from aggressive driving, set[ting] positive example for the other motorists and be[ing] vigilant when driving through work zones.”[13] Lieutenant Governor Miller, chair of the Work Zone Safety Work Group, concluded that “a culture change is needed among drivers.”[14] Many Maryland drivers agree.[15] According to a survey conducted by Work Zone Safety Work Group, with 2,200 responses, about 68% “support speed cameras at all work zones” and 65% of respondents believe that “they would likely slow down if the fines increased.”[16]

Marylanders should expect more traffic stops and citation issuances across the state.[17] Moreover, drivers will see more automated speed camera around local construction zones to enforce the speeding limit.[18] The Act will hopefully not only make Maryland drivers more aware of their speed but improve safety conditions for contractual workers on the road.

Evagevelly (Eva) Posadas is a third-year student at the University of Baltimore School of Law and an associate editor for Law Forum. She received her bachelor’s degree in Law and American Civilization from Towson University. Eva has experience in family law and immigration law, having interned at multiple family law firms and served as a student attorney at the school’s Immigrant Rights Clinic. She is also the secretary for the school’s Latin American Law Student Association. After graduation, she will clerk for the Honorable Mary Kramer in the Circuit Court of Howard County.

[1] Greg Ng, et al. 6 Construction Workers Struck, Killed in Beltway Crash in Woodlawn, WBALTV11 (Mar. 23, 2023, 3:23 PM), https://www.wbaltv.com/article/beltway-crash-6-dead-woodlawn-maryland/43389717.

[2] Id.; David Collins, Road Worker Protection Act Gets Another Strong Push from Lawmakers, WBALTV11 (Feb. 15, 2024, 5:19 PM), https://www.wbaltv.com/article/highway-work-zone-safety-bill-maryland/46803792.

[3] Collins, supra note 2.

[4] David Collins, New Maryland Laws in 2025: Higher Fines for Speeding in Work Zones, Increased Health Care Coverage, WBALTV11 (Dec. 31, 2024, 6:18 PM), https://www.wbaltv.com/article/new-laws-maryland-2025-work-zone-speeding-health-care-coverage/63313474.

[5] H.B. 513, 446th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (Md. 2024) (codified as Md. Code Ann., Transp. § 21-810(c)(2)(i)-(v) (West 2024).

[6] Id.

[7] Id.

[8] Id.

[9] Id.

[10] Collins, supra note 3.

[11] Id.

[12] Id.

[13] Governor’s Work Zone Safety Work Group, Recommendations to Improve Work Zone Safety in Maryland, MD.gov (Nov. 17, 2023), https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/work-zone-safety-work-group-recommendations-11-17-23-3-6557d8ced4f20.pdf.

[14] Collins, supra note 2.

[15] See id.

[16] Id.

[17] See id.

[18] Id.