Bill Preventing Road Worker Deaths in Highway Work Zones Heads to the Governor’s Desk with Bipartisan Support

SACRAMENTO, CA — Assemblymember Matt Haney’s (D-San Francisco) AB 289, which would bring automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras to active highway construction zones, has passed both houses of the Legislature and now heads to the Governor’s desk for a signature. The bill cleared the Senate floor with an overwhelming bipartisan 36-3-1 vote.

Assembly Bill 289 would bring automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras to active highway construction zones — a tool proven to slow drivers down and prevent deadly crashes which means the difference between life and death for the men and women working on our roads.

The danger is very real for road workers and for drivers. Despite warning signs, flashing lights and law enforcement patrols, drivers continue to speed through construction zones. In 2023, there were more than 100 vehicle intrusions into work sites on California highways — collisions that killed or seriously injured workers. In 2021, the state recorded 9,500 crashes in work zones, nearly 3,000 injuries and 73 deaths.

“These workers aren’t just names on a report,” Haney said. “They’re moms, dads, sons, daughters — people who never made it home from work. AB 289 is how we stop these tragedies before they happen.”

AB 289 would launch a statewide pilot program to use ASE cameras in active construction areas, aiming to slow drivers down and protect the people on the other side of the cones. In states like Maryland and Pennsylvania, the results have been dramatic — with speeding violations dropping by 80% and crashes by nearly 20%.

Supporters, including a coalition of construction workers, labor unions, transportation advocates, and public safety leaders agree that enough is enough and that every life lost is one too many.

The bill now sits on the Governor’s desk pending a signature.