WELD COUNTY, Colo. — After issuing 16,500 warnings to speeders in a one-month period, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is now issuing real tickets to drivers caught speeding along a work zone between Mead and Berthoud.
When a vehicle enters the work zone, cameras read its license plate, according to CDOT spokesperson Stacia Sellers. The cameras read the plate again when the vehicle exits the work zone to calculate its speed. If the vehicle is traveling over the posted limit, the person the car is registered to will receive a $75 ticket in the mail.
Sellers said the main goal of the program is to reduce speeds in work zones where road workers are at risk. Sellers said speeding slows down a driver's reaction time when approaching work zones.
Last year, CDOT reported nine work zone deaths and nearly 560 injuries.
The fine for not being able to slow down is set at $75 each time a camera flags a car.
"There won't be any points taken off of your driver's license as would be the case if you were to get pulled over by law enforcement, but this is just a $75 fine that goes back to fund the program," Sellers said.
So far, Sellers said CDOT has seen a 90% reduction in speeding in the area.
She also warned that CDOT will never text people about a fine, and all notices will be mailed.
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