The governor signed a trio of House bills that were co-sponsored by Democratic state Reps. Nate Shannon of Sterling Heights and Tyrone Carter of Detroit.
State officials said the legislation will allow school buses to be equipped with a camera system that will track violations for failure to stop. The bill will allocate the funds raised from these violations to return to school districts and be used for transportation safety.
Also, the bills will better enforce the laws that keep children safe as they board and exit school busses, promoting community safety and supporting local school districts.
“As a former teacher, student safety matters a great deal to me,” Shannon said in a news release.
“Far too many drivers ignore stop signals on school buses — putting children at risk. This legislation gives law enforcement the tools they need to ensure kids’ safe travel to and from school. We are sending a strong message by holding drivers accountable — student safety always comes first.”
Meanwhile, a New Baltimore family applauded a bill signed by the governor that would protect road construction workers by implementing work zone safety cameras in marked areas of the road under construction.
Dawn Morisette’s son, Zachery Morisette, was killed in 2020 after being hit by a driver as he was working along I-94 in St. Clair Shores. She called the new law a “great thing” because it would raise driver’s level of concern when they proceed through a work zone.
“The man that struck our son, we wouldn’t have had to endure three days of him fleeing the scene, washing the truck, hiding the truck… he would have been found right away,” Morisette told WXYZ-TV (Channel 7). “We have no idea what happened with our son, why he was hit, so if the cameras were in place, we would have had a lot more answers than we did.”
Zach’s brother, Rodney Morisette, said speed cameras will likely force people to slow down while driving through the construction areas.
“These guys that are working on the road are putting their life on the line like my brother did, and they need some additional protection out there,” said Rodney Morisette.
Last month, a road worker died after he was hit by a car along Interstate 75 near Springwells in southwest Detroit.
A speed camera can detect a vehicle going over 10 mph and the vehicle owner will be issued a warning first. If the driver is caught again, they will be given a fine of $150.
Michigan will join 23 other states that currently use the technology that has been proven to reduce speeds and protect construction workers.
In 2023 alone, Michigan State Police recorded over 8,000 construction work zone-related crashes with 24 fatalities.
The bills were sponsored by state Rep. Will Snyder, D-Muskegon and Republican state Rep. Mike Mueller of Linden.
© 2024 The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
