New York widens work-zone safety push after 366 crashes in 2025

New York is stepping up enforcement and penalties around highway work zones after 366 crashes on NYSDOT-maintained roads in 2025 left 58 people injured and two dead. The state’s effort includes Operation Hardhat, automated speed enforcement and reminders about the Move Over Law as officials try to reduce speeding and driver intrusions.

Why it matters: - Work-zone crashes can injure or kill highway workers and drivers in seconds. - New York is using enforcement and penalties to try to reduce speeding, intrusions and other risky driving in active work zones. - The state’s Move Over Law also affects how drivers must respond when approaching roadside construction, emergency, tow and disabled vehicles.

What happened: - New York recorded 366 work-zone crashes on NYSDOT-maintained roads in 2025. - Those crashes resulted in 58 injuries and two fatalities. - Gov. Hochul earlier highlighted 322 work-zone intrusions and 138 injuries in 2024. - The state has continued expanding work-zone safety measures through stronger enforcement and harsher penalties for repeat offenders.

The details: - Operation Hardhat is one of the state’s enforcement efforts targeting dangerous driving in work zones. - Automated speed enforcement is also part of the state’s safety push. - Driver safety reminders are being used to discourage motorists from speeding through active construction areas. - New York’s Move Over Law requires drivers to change lanes if possible when approaching stopped construction vehicles, emergency vehicles, tow trucks and disabled vehicles on the side of the road. - Shulman & Hill said work-zone enforcement is needed to protect the people who build and maintain New York’s roads. - The firm also said that when negligent driving causes harm, understanding who is responsible and what legal options are available is important for protecting workers’ rights. - The release said speeding, distracted driving, failing to move over and other negligent actions can contribute to construction worker injuries. - In those cases, injured workers may have both a workers’ compensation claim and a third-party personal injury claim.

Between the lines: - The state’s approach signals that New York is treating work-zone safety as both a traffic enforcement issue and a worker protection issue. - The inclusion of legal messaging from Shulman & Hill suggests injured workers may increasingly be steered toward claims beyond workers’ compensation when a third party may be liable. - The emphasis on repeat offenders and harsher penalties points to a policy shift from warnings alone toward deterrence.

What’s next: - New York is expected to keep using enforcement tools and driver alerts to push down work-zone crashes. - Drivers will likely see continued reminders about moving over, slowing down and staying alert near roadside work. - Injured workers will continue to be advised to examine whether negligent driving created grounds for additional legal claims.

The bottom line: - New York’s work-zone safety campaign is intensifying because the crash numbers still show a serious risk to workers and motorists alike.