The Texas Department of Transportation manages more than 1,000 highway projects at any given time on Texas roads. To remember victims and raise safety awareness for workers and motorists, TxDOT will join the Federal Highway Administration and other transportation partners April 23-27 to observe National Work Zone Awareness Week.
Work zones can be hazardous for motorists and highway crews working to improve Texas’ highways. Because of increased safety measures and public outreach, TxDOT has seen a decline in work zone fatalities for two consecutive years.
In 2010, 100 people were killed in highway construction and maintenance zones in Texas, down from 108 the previous year. While there has been a decline in work zone fatalities and crashes, there is still work to do. Since 1938, there have been 270 TxDOT employees killed, with 200 of those deaths occurring in work zones.
In 2010, the Lubbock District had three work zone fatalities and 412 crashes. Eighty-five percent of those killed in work zones are drivers or their passengers. Speeding and inattention are the most common causes cited. Rear-end collisions account for one in three crashes.
Safety is TxDOT’s first priority, no matter what job – behind the desk or on the highway. So please:
■ Slow down and follow posted speed limits. Traffic fines are double in work zones.
■ Pay attention. Workers are often close to traffic.
■ Be patient. Delays can be frustrating, but it only takes a few minutes to slow down in a work zone.
Drive safe to be safe.
DOUG EICHORST, district engineer, Lubbock District, TxDOT