Work Zone Awareness 2024
It's Spring Construction Season
This April, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and its stakeholders are sponsoring Work Zone Awareness activities to bring nationwide attention to this topic.
This week is an annual reminder that work zone safety and mobility for all road users–including motorists and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and highway workers on foot–continues to be a relevant issue. Work zones and highway workers are integral to upgrading and maintaining our transportation system.
Work zone safety is a critical component of national efforts like the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and Vision Zero to reduce serious injuries and deaths. Nationally, for the first time in several years, the rate of work zone fatalities decreased from 2021 to 2022, by 7 percent.
All road users can be more vigilant in work zones to improve safety: Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever.
Let’s Improve Work Zone Safety
Work zones are temporary, but State agencies, local communities, and contractors strive to keep road users safe. Consider the following actions behind the wheel to improve work zone safety for all:
Reroute. Avoid traveling through work zones, if possible. Otherwise, allow extra time for possible delays and travel safely.
Avoid distractions. Workers are focused on their jobs in work zones; be vigilant behind the wheel to safely travel through the work zone by putting down your phone and paying attention while driving.
Reduce speed. Follow speed limits to make driving through narrow lanes and lane shifts easier and safer for you while keeping workers safe.
Be aware of workers. The work area is often very close to travel lanes, so please be considerate: Take care and slow down when you see workers.
Watch for pedestrians and bicyclists. Work zones often restrict where non motorized road users can travel. In 2022, 145 persons on foot and bicyclists lost their lives in work zone crashes.
Give large vehicles space. Narrow lanes, unexpected lane shifts, and longer braking distances are challenges for large vehicles. Allow extra space for them to safely navigate work zones. In 2022, 30 percent of fatal work zone crashes involved commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), which include large trucks and buses. Take care around large construction vehicles, which may be driving at slower speeds to enter and exit the work area.
Stay alert. Be prepared for sudden stops. Work zones may cause unexpected slowdowns. In 2022, 21 percent of all fatal work zone crashes involved rear-end collisions.