WORK-ZONE SAFETY at road-related construction sites is a very important matter, and something we at Tucker Paving think about and strive for constantly. It’s dangerous out there!
We’re concerned about our construction employees, and we’re concerned about the motorists — hundreds, perhaps even thousands — who might pass by our team members at a work site on any given day. We count on you, members of the motoring public, to be careful and to help keep our employees safe.
Work-zone safety statistics are interesting and sobering at the same time. Here are some facts and figures collected from a variety of sources (as noted):
• On average, in 2015, a work-zone crash occurred once every 5.4 minutes (U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration [USDOT/FHWA])
• Every day, 70 work-zone crashes occurred that resulted in at least one injury. (USDOT/FHWA)
• Every week, 12 work-zone crashes occurred that resulted in at least one fatality. (USDOT/FHWA)
• In 2015, there were an estimated 96,626 work-zone crashes, an increase of 7.6 percent over 2014. (USDOT/FHWA)
• In Florida in 2015, there were 19 work-zone-related crashes and 887 work-zone-related injury crashes. (Florida DOT)
• Rear-end crashes are the most common type of work-zone crash. (Arizona DOT)
• In 2014, speeding was a factor in 29 percent of fatal crashes in work zones. (Nebraska Department of Roads)
National Work Zone Awareness Week is an annual spring campaign held at the start of construction season to encourage safe driving through highway work zones and construction sites. There’s a website for this campaign, and you can find it here. The 2017 campaign slogan was “Work zone safety is in your hands (as in hands on the steering wheel [our addition]). Drive toward ZERO crashes.” Here at Tucker Paving, we like to say: “When you pass road workers, drive like they’re your family — because they’re someone’s.”
