Lawmakers on the interim Transportation Committee are checking their blind spots as they zoom toward using technology in their pursuit of road safety.

The committee heard from experts in the automated speed enforcement sector as they prepare for the 30-day short legislative session next year.

Legislators on the panel are considering the use of automated speed technology in Kentucky work zones to reduce accidents and keep workers and drivers safe.

The committee heard from VITRIONIC Machine Vision, which uses scanning LiDAR that sends out laser beams that can identify vehicles that are speeding. Niclas Andersson, VITRIONIC’s Vice President of Sales, suggests making speeding infractions caught by automated measures a civil violation. Civil infractions are not reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles or to an insurance company.

VITRIONIC has systems around the world that have issued 1 billion tickets with their technology, and not even one violation has been overturned, Andersson said.

Andersson said there is a 57% reduction in accidents with automated speed traps, which leads to lower costs to handle traffic accidents and fewer officers working on speeding citations, which keeps them and drivers safer.

Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, brought legislation in the 2024 session that would have established a pilot program for automated speed enforcement in highway work zones only in work zones when workers are present. The bill was ultimately not heard during the past session.

Age Eligibility for Instruction Permits

House Floor Leader Steven Rudy, R-Paducah, also testified before the committee in favor of allowing 16-year-olds to get a driver’s license at 16 years old. Currently, Kentucky has a 6-month gap between a permit and a driver’s license. He is seeking to allow teens to get learner’s permits earlier, thus allowing them to get a driver’s license at 16.

“The kids of Kentucky want this bill, their parents want this bill, and I think it’s time… let’s do this in 2025,” Rudy said.

Road Fund Fiscal 2024 Closeout Report

Robin Brewer, the Executive Director of the Office of Budget and Fiscal Management, also shared Road Fund numbers from the end of the fiscal year, which ended nearly $200 million above the original estimated revenues; however, the official estimate numbers were revised leading to a slight shortfall from that estimate, but there was still a nearly $10 million surplus, which was sent to the state construction account.

Brewer said the Road Fund is expected to drop for the first three-quarters of 2025 due in part to a decline in the average wholesale price of gasoline.

The committee will meet again on September 17.