The week of April 26th -April 30th is National Work Zone Awareness Week. The week was created to bring awareness to work zone safety during peak season for construction workers. This year’s theme is Drive Safe, Work Safe, Save Lives. Here are some facts about work zone safety and National Work zone awareness week.
WHAT IS A WORK ZONE?
According to the DOT, Work zones are…
- Wherever you see workers, flaggers and surveyors in bright yellow-green or orange vests.
- Work zones are marked with orange cones or barrels, concrete barriers, traffic control devices or moving vehicles with flashers.
FACTS ABOUT WORK ZONE SAFETY
Did you know?…
- The majority of work zone accidents happen in the daytime.
- In 2019 24% of fatal work zone crashes involved a rear-end collision
- 31% of work zone crashes occurred where speeding was a factor.
- There were 842 work zone fatalities in 2019
WHAT YOU CAN DO
How you can observe work zone awareness week…
- SLOW DOWN!! Speeding can lead to crashes with other vehicles and field workers
- Watch For Sudden Stops. Workzone activity often causes delays, congestion and traffic queues.
- Attend An Awareness Event. The National work zone awareness week’s website contains events you can attend to gain more knowledge about the topic.
Access the fact sheet here! National Work Zone Awareness Week (dot.gov)