Work Zone Safety is Everybody’s Responsibility
A work zone crash occurs once every 5.4 minutes. Raise awareness about dangers near roadway construction.
With road construction season starting to pick up due to warmer temperatures, it’s time to increase public awareness by getting involved in National Work Zone Awareness Week.
National Work Zone Awareness Week is held in April as an annual campaign partnership between state departments of transportation (DOT), national road safety organizations, government agencies, private companies, and individuals like you.
As an employer, you can remind your workers about their responsibility to slow down, pay attention, and be cautious while driving in a work zone – not just in April – throughout the entire year!
Take your time and slow down when driving in an orange zone to prevent an accident!
Driving safely in a work zone is important not only for the workers but also for drivers moving through it. Statistics from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) show about 10-15% of work zone fatalities are workers, which mean that about 85-90% are drivers.
The numbers of accidents that occur in work zones are astonishing. From 2021-2022, commercial motor vehicle and fatal work zone crashes that involved speeding increased. One work zone fatality occurs for every 4 billion vehicle-miles of travel and for every $112 million worth of roadway construction expenditures. Per the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and FHWA, these are the numbers for 2021:
- 106,000 – Estimated total work zone crashes
- 42,000 – Estimated work zone injuries
- 956 – Number of work zone fatalities
- 323 – Fatal work zone crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle
- 281 – Fatal work zone accidents with speeding as a factor
- 164 – Fatal pedestrian crashes in work zones
- 156 – Fatal work zone crashes involving a rear-end collision
- 120 – Estimated daily work zone injuries
You can reduce the chance of work zone crashes by following these 9 tips provided by Work Zone Safety:
- Pay attention to work zone signs
- Leave enough space between you and the motorist in front of you
- Be prepared to stop or slow unexpectedly
- Expect to stop when you see a FLAGGER AHEAD sign
- If stopped or slowed in a traffic queue, consider turning on your flashers to warn traffic coming up behind you
- Watch for traffic and workers going into or out of the work zone
- Get into the open lane as soon as possible at lane closures
- Be aware of motorists racing to get ahead of you or trying to turn in front of you at the last second
- Use alternative routes to avoid work zones whenever feasible
National Work Zone Awareness Week is a great opportunity to remind your employees to be patient and take their time driving through work zones. There is very little room for error and a few extra minutes could mean the difference in saving a life.