ITD reminds motorists to drive safely in work zones
April 7-11 is national Work Zone Awareness Week

Safe driving means safer work zones. That's why the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) asks motorists to drive carefully through work zones – for their own safety and the safety of construction workers.

Each year, the Federal Highway Administration, ITD and other state departments of transportation draw special attention to safe driving in or near work zones during Work Zone Awareness Week, scheduled nationwide April 7-11. The week's timing coincides with the start of construction season throughout the U.S.

Transportation officials will formally launch the 2014 National Work Zone Awareness Week campaign April 8 in Seattle, Wash. This year's theme is "Work Zone Speeding: A Costly Mistake."

"We urge drivers to use extreme caution when passing through these areas so they can arrive at their destination safely and construction workers can return home to their loved ones," said ITD Chief Deputy Scott Stokes.

Stokes encouraged a common-sense approach to driving in work zones by offering drivers a few simple questions to answer for themselves.

Ask yourself if you:

  • Checked 511 to see if there will be construction or heavy equipment on your route, or a changed traffic pattern?
  • Drive at the proper speed limit and follow the directions of signs and flaggers? Are you slowing down for gravel surfaces, especially if riding a motorcycle?
  • Buckled up, are driving safely and avoiding distractions such as cell phone use?
  • Are being patient with delays that may happen? Some projects may have delays of up to 15 minutes, so consider adjusting your travel schedule accordingly.

"Safety in our work zones is no accident," Stokes added. "Safe driving in or near work zones will help ensure the safety of drivers, passengers and construction workers."

Nationally, more than 700 people are killed and more than 37,000 are injured each year in crashes in highway work zones. Those deaths account for approximately two percent of highway fatalities. On average, four out of five people killed in work zone crashes are motorists or their passengers.

Since 2008, work-zone crashes in Idaho led to an average of about three motorist or passenger fatalities and two workers injured per year according to ITD statistics.

Published 4-4-14