Kentucky Chooses Acusensus for Statewide Work Zone Speed Program

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Acusensus is supplying Kentucky's expanded work zone speed enforcement program, which went live statewide in September 2026, following a successful five-site pilot program.

On October 5, 2026 The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced the statewide expansion of its real-time work zone speed enforcement program. Acusensus is the technology partner supplying and operating the systems.

13 people were killed in Kentucky's work zones in 2025. Another 272 were injured across 1,156 crashes. Speeding was the second leading contributor, following distracted driving.

The first five Acusensus systems were deployed into Kentucky work zones from October 2025, beginning on U.S. 25 in Fayette County and Interstate 75 near Corbin. Within two months, severe speeding violations at the enforced sites had fallen by between 31% and 61%. Average speeds across the five work zones declined by 15%.

Tickets are always issued by a police officer on the spot. The systems do not automatically issue tickets. A camera detects a vehicle traveling over the posted limit and relays the image in real time to a Kentucky State Police officer stationed further along the road. Only verified speed violations are captured, and the officer decides whether to make a stop in real-time. Every citation is issued in person, by a person.

The technology helps to identify a violation, and a trained officer always makes the final judgment.

The systems operate only where workers are present and where drivers have been warned by signs with flashing beacons. Any identifying data that an officer does not act upon is deleted within 30 minutes.

Acusensus is paid a fixed fee for each system. No part of the company's revenue is dependent upon how many violations are detected or how many citations are issued.

The program is authorized by the Jared Lee Helton Act of 2025 (KRS 189.2326), named for a Kentucky road worker killed on the job. The legislation permits automated speed enforcement in work zones where workers are present.

Speaking when the first systems were installed in 2025, Kentucky State Police Major Eric Walker described the intent plainly: "Our goal is not to issue tickets. We want to ensure safe speeds, to prevent fatalities."

Chad LaRue of the Kentucky Association of Highway Contractors said at the same time: "Our contractors and crews deserve safe working conditions, and this program is a step toward ensuring that."

"We are committed to doing all we can to make sure our front-line crews and those traveling through work zones are safe and everyone makes it home at the end of every day," said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman. "We're investing in proven tools to enhance highway safety, and expanding our fleet of speed cameras in work zones is one way we can encourage drivers to slow down and support our law enforcement partners."

"Kentucky did the hard work long before we arrived. The Cabinet insisted on testing whether the technology actually changed behavior before committing to it," said US General Manager at Acusensus, Kevin Tenbrunsel. "Our job from here is to put the systems where the danger is, give the officer what they need to make the stop, and keep every unit working every day. If drivers slow down and no one else is hurt, that is the result we are measured against."

Acusensus owns the systems and handles deployment, calibration and daily accuracy checks. Each unit validates itself every 24 hours and shuts down automatically if it fails that check — a stricter standard than most states require. Acusensus prioritizes hiring Kentucky residents for technical and field roles.

Kentucky is one of three statewide work zone safety programs Acusensus supplies in the United States, alongside Connecticut and Arkansas. Other programs have been deployed in Minnesota, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, California, Colorado, D.C. and Nebraska.

Acusensus is a road safety company founded in 2018, driven by a simple but compelling belief: that nobody should die on our roads. Acusensus' innovations are used by government and law enforcement partners, designed to change driver behaviour and save lives, by detecting and providing prosecutable evidence of distracted driving, seatbelt non-compliance, speeding, and railway-crossing violations. Acusensus is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: ACE), with US operations based in Las Vegas, Nevada and Hartford, Connecticut.

SOURCE Acusensus