• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Logo

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • About
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • X
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Work Zone Data
    • At a Glance
    • National & State Traffic Data
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
  • Topics of Interest
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
    • Smart Work Zones
    • Work Zone Safety and MobilityTransportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Worker Safety and Welfare
    • Project Coordination in Work Zones
  • Training
    • Online Courses
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Toolboxes
    • Flagger
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
  • Public Awareness
  • About
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

New Tougher Laws Designed to Make Roads Safer

Author/Presenter: Filas, Lee
Abstract:

Jeff Heath, the Illinois Department of Transportation construction worker from downstate Jersey County, was directing traffic nearly two years ago when he was struck and killed by a speeding pickup truck and trailer that lost control. The truck driver was cited for the accident but avoided jail time because he was not charged with reckless homicide with a vehicle. That changes June 1 when “Jeff’s Law” goes into effect. Under the new law, a person is automatically assumed to be driving recklessly if traveling more than 20 mph over the posted speed limit or driving drunk through a school or construction zone. It is one of two new laws to fight both drunken driving and work zone accidents. The second is the interlock DUI law, which begins Jan. 1 and requires some people convicted of their first drunken driving offense to blow into a Breathalyzer device before their car will start.

Source: Daily Herald
Publication Date: May 23, 2008
Full Text URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: News and Other Non-research Articles
Topics: Laws and Legislation; Speed Control; Speeding; Work Zone Safety

Copyright © 2025 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute