April 15-19, 2024 is National Work Zone Awareness Week which aims to encourage safe driving through highway work zones. This year’s theme is “Work Zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever.”

 In 2021, there were 874 fatal crashes in work zones and 956 fatalities. While 4 in 5 work zone fatalities result in the death of a motorist, 108 highway workers were killed in 2021. Unfortunately, both fatal crashes and fatalities in work zones are on the rise.

What is National Work Zone Awareness Week?

National Work Zone Awareness Week was first celebrated in 1997 when the Virginia Department of Transportation wanted to dedicate a week to raise awareness about work zone safety. The first national campaign began in 2000 with a partnership from the Federal Highway Administration and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials. National Work Zone Awareness Week was started with the following goals:

• Raising awareness about the need to slow down in work zones and practice caution to decrease injuries and fatalities
• Promote work zone safety tips
• Promote highway and construction zone worker best practices for safety
• Ensure that highway and construction zone workers are prepared for aggressive driving behaviors and how to de-escalate these situations
• Outreach to work zone safety organizations across the country

Work Zone Accident Attorney Discusses National Work Zone Awareness Week

How to Participate in National Work Zone Awareness Week

This year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week has events planned each day throughout the week. This year’s events are:

• Work Zone Safety Training Day – April 15
  • Emphasizes the importance of safety training for highway and other construction zone workers.
  • Encourages workplaces to pause throughout the day for workplace safety demonstrations, safety policy reviews, hazard and fall prevention, protective methods, and other prevention steps.
  • Efforts to decrease Struck-by injuries.
• National Kickoff Event – April 16, 2024
  • Hosted by the Maryland Department of Transportation to commemorate the 6 roadway workers killed in 2023.
• Go Orange Day – April 17
  • Everyone is encouraged to wear orange to show their support of work zone safety.
  • Post a picture of you wearing orange with the hashtags #NWZAW and #Orange4Safety.
• Social Media Storm – April 18
  • From 9am-4pm ET, organizations, companies, institutions, and individuals are asked to post under #NZWAW, #OurRoads, and #WorkZoneSafety on all social media platforms to spread the message to slow down in Work Zones. Use FMCSA’s Work Zone Safety Campaign to find images and graphics to share on social media.

Example image to share on social media to urge others to avoid distractions when traveling in work zones. Source: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ourroads/work-zone-safety-shareable-material

• Moment of Silence – April 19
  • Companies and families are encouraged to join together for a moment of silence as a tribute to the people who lost their lives in a work zone incident.

To learn more about National Work Zone Awareness Week, visit nwzaw.org.

Why are Construction Zones so Dangerous?

Highway Construction Zones Have Narrow, Curved Lanes

Construction zones often have much narrower lanes than the large lanes on American highways. If a driver is not paying attention to signs indicating that trucks should use the left lane, that a lane will be closed ahead, or the driver is distracted and fails to see the lane curving to the left or right, this will result in the vehicle drifting out of the lane which could cause them to sideswipe another motorist, run into a concrete barrier, or crash into a highway worker. For this reason, sideswiping is one of the most common types of accidents in a construction zone.

Big Trucks Are Dangerous in Work Zones

Approximately 30% of fatal work zone crashes involve a commercial motor vehicle. Big trucks and buses are overrepresented in fatal work zone crashes. This is due to a semi’s much longer stopping distance than a passenger vehicle. Semis, at highway speeds, require a 50% longer stopping distance than a passenger vehicle. If semis are distracted or do not plan ahead when they see a work zone sign, they will not be able to react quickly enough to stop their vehicle, causing them to ram into the back of the vehicle in front of them. Semis also weigh up to 20x the amount that a passenger vehicle weighs, so when a semi runs into the back of a vehicle at high speeds, they can easily cause damage to multiple cars, resulting in catastrophic injuries or death to motorists in multiple vehicles ahead of them.

Distracted Drivers Cause Work Zone Wrecks

Construction zones require a motorist to be fully focused on driving in the work zone. Using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of a crash by over 23x. Motorists who encounter traffic stopped in a work zone may pull their phone out to pass the time or check their GPS to preview alternate routes. Although using a cell phone in stopped traffic may seem safe, even once you put your phone down you are cognitively distracted for at least 27 seconds afterward, which means your reaction time will be slower and your judgement will be impaired during these 27 seconds.

Traffic may suddenly start moving and then stop again, resulting in the driver pressing on the gas, and rear-ending the vehicle in front of them. Lanes in a construction zone are not always straight and a distracted driver may begin to drift out of their lane, causing them to sideswipe another vehicle. Also, distracted drivers will not see and obey posted signage telling them to merge may run into a construction zone worker.

Speeding is the Top Cause of Work Zone Crashes

Speeding is one of the top causes of fatal work zone crashes with speeding listed as a factor in 26% of fatal work zone crashes. Work zones require drivers to reduce their driving speed by up to 30mph. Drivers who disregard posted signage to drive slower will not have enough time to brake if traffic stops ahead, causing them to rear-end the vehicle in front of them. Speeding can also cause a driver to lose control if they encounter debris on the road or if a highway worker steps in their path, causing the driver to hit concrete barriers or construction zone workers head on.

Traffic Delays in Construction Zones are Common

Construction zones often result in traffic delays due to the required reduction of speed combined with workers and trucks entering and exiting the work zone. This can easily cause bottlenecks and when drivers do not react quickly enough to stop in a traffic backup they will run into the back of the vehicle in front of them. Also, traffic delays due to construction can cause drivers to become impatient, causing them to react aggressively or recklessly to avoid a traffic back up. Aggressive drivers often cause crashes resulting from aggressive driving habits like:

• Tailgating
• Cutting off another driver
• Speeding
• Making unsafe lane changes
• Driving on the shoulder of the highway

How Can Drivers stay Safe in a Work Zone?

Reroute – Avoid Construction Zones if possible. Plan your route ahead of time by checking your GPS for work zones and alternate routes. If construction zones are unavoidable, stay calm and leave early to be prepared for potential traffic delays.

Avoid Distractions – NEVER use your phone while driving. Avoid other common distractions that slow your reaction time like:

• GPS
• Eating and drinking
• Putting on makeup or brushing your hair
• Conversing with passengers
• Adjusting controls in the car like radio and climate controls
• Daydreaming, stressing about work or school

Reduce speed – When you see a sign that shows that there is a work zone ahead, you should begin reducing your speed. Always obey the posted construction zone speed limit. Do not return to normal highway speeds until you see a sign stating the construction zone has ended. Remember that the higher the speed a collision occurs at, the more severe the injuries will be.

Be aware of workers – Always slow down when you see workers in the construction zone or if you see a sign indicating a flagger is up ahead. Take extra care when you see a worker in a construction zone and remember that at speeds above 40mph, collisions with a person outside the vehicle have a 90% likely to kill the construction worker.

Give large vehicles Space – Stay out of semi blind spots. Avoid being the last one in a line of traffic in front of a semi. Report any big truck drivers using the phone number on the back of the truck, or by contacting the police if you see a driver that is using their cell phone, if you see a driver that does not seem alert, or who is driving aggressively.

Stay Alert – Always be prepared for sudden stops when driving in work zones. Rear-end collisions are the most common type of wreck in a construction zone. Rear-end collisions can be avoided by always obeying posted signage and maintaining a safe following distance of at least 3 car-lengths.

Construction Zone Accident Attorney Discusses Staying Safe in Work Zones

Our Highway Work Zone Injury Lawyers Can Help

Highway work zone crashes can cause catastrophic injuries, or death, especially when the wreck involves a large commercial motor vehicle. If you or your family was impacted due to a work zone wreck that cause injuries or death, our dedicated construction zone accident attorneys can help. As soon as we are hired, the dedicated legal team at Craig, Kelley, & Faultless will go to the scene of the wreck to collect and preserve evidence to present in court to hold the wrongdoers responsible. Don’t wait to hire a work zone accident attorney. Contact Craig, Kelley, & Faultless’ construction zone accident attorneys today by phone at (800)-746-0226 or using our online form for a free consultation to discuss your work zone injury case.

About the Author

David W. Craig sits on the Board of Regents of the ATAA (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner, as well as one of the founding partners of the law firm of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is also recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help victims and their families as they navigate through a terrible situation and answers the host of questions that come after a tragic wreck. He is also the host of the podcast, After the Crash where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol on roads regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.