Respect and caution drive work zone safety event
"Respect the zone so we all get home" is the theme for this year’s edition of National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), a spring campaign held at the start of the construction season to encourage safe driving through highway work zones.
The key message for drivers throughout this event, slated for April 21-25, 2025, is to use extra caution in work zones. According to Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data, in 2022, there were 821 fatal crashes in work zones. Of those crashes, just over 30 percent (248) involved a commercial motor vehicle (gross vehicle weight, gross combination weight of 10,001 pounds or more).
With orange barrels and lane restrictions starting to pop up on our nation’s roadways in advance of NWZAW, now is the time to review work zone safety with your drivers.
Work zone safety tips
Plan ahead and manage your time. Before starting your day, plan your route. When possible, avoid work zones by using detours or alternate routes. Whether you are able to use an alternate route or have to travel through the work zone, schedule enough time to safely make the trip. Stay informed on current conditions, remain patient, and stay calm.
Remain focused. Your full attention should be on the road at all times, but this is even more critical when traveling through a work zone. Focused driving includes avoiding distractions, such as using your cell phone, eating, drinking, adjusting the radio or global positioning system (GPS), and conversing with passengers.
Pay attention to signs. Orange, diamond-shaped signs are posted to give advance warning of:
- Lane closures,
- Speed reductions, and
- Workers ahead.
Slow down. Lane closures and shifts in traffic patterns are common in work zones. Because of this, it is important to slow down.
Follow the posted speed limit. Speeding is one of the major causes of work zone crashes. Because of this, many states have enhanced their fines and penalties for exceeding the speed limit in a work zone.
Maintain a safe following distance. Stopping a large vehicle takes both space and time. A truck with good tires, traveling at 55 miles per hour in ideal conditions, needs about 450 feet and seven seconds to stop. Stopping distances can be greater if:
- It is raining or snowing,
- Tires or brakes are worn, or
- There is dirt or gravel on the road.
Use the lane furthest from the work zone. This provides additional space between the sides of the vehicle and construction workers.
Avoid sudden lane changes. When approaching lane closures, move into the open lane as soon as possible. Be sure to pay close attention to vehicles around you that could be in your blind spot.
Always expect the unexpected/drive defensively. In addition to watching for people working on or near the road, watch out for motorists racing to get ahead of you or trying to turn in front of you at the last second. Be ready to react to the unexpected.
Obey road crew flaggers. A flag person has the same authority as a regulatory sign. A driver can be cited for disobeying a flag person’s directions.
Key to remember: With road construction season ramping up, drivers need to fine tune their work zone safety skills and remember to use extra caution when traveling through work zones.