Slow down

The combination of heavier traffic congestion, an accelerated highway repair program and seemingly more careless motorists have resulted in a heavy toll for highway construction workers. Since 2000, seven Missouri Department of Transportation workers have been killed and 214 have been injured while working on the state's highways.

A few years ago, a law was passed imposing a $250 fine for speeding in posted highway work zones. Many motorists are persuaded to slow down when they see signs announcing the fines. Or radar billboards that show the speed they're traveling. Or signs that tally the number of tickets that have been issued to careless motorists.

Effective this week, there is another inducement to drive prudently in highway construction zones. A new law imposes a fine up to $5,000 for drivers who injure a highway worker and a fine up to $10,000 if a highway worker is killed.

No amount of fines is going to comfort the families of workers who die doing a dangerous job, but the effort is to make motorists more aware of the consequences of speeding and driving negligently in work areas.

If more motorists slow down and there are fewer injuries and deaths, the new law imposing the fines will be well worth the effort.