Speeding in a road construction zone in Iowa just got really expensive. Iowa drivers could pay up to $1,000 for speeding in a construction zone

The next time someone flies by those orange signs, they could shell out up to $1,000 for a ticket, thanks to a new Iowa law that took effect Tuesday.

“With all of the distractions today, work zones are more dangerous because they can be more unexpected,” said Steve Gent, director of the Office of Traffic and Safety for the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Amid distraction, fines get people’s attention, he said.

Iowa has an average of six deaths per year in work zones, Gent said. While worker safety is a huge concern for law enforcement, most of Iowa’s fatalities have been motorists, he said. The last fatality, in southwest Iowa, occurred because a semi-tractor trailer zipped through a flagger station and rear-ended several vehicles, Gent said.

Nationwide, fatalities in work zones have increased by 45 percent in the past 10 years, according to a report by the Federal Highway Administration. Driver distractions, like cell phones, iPods and other gadgets, are likely to blame in some of the accidents, Gent said.

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