The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is asking drivers to slow down in construction zones as a way to prevent injuries and fatalities in work crews on job sites.
The plea is part of this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week, running through April 19. Officials said speed plays a key role in work crew injuries as a result of crashes in work sites. Safer speeds are a key part of the National Roadway Safety Strategy established by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to address roadway safety.
“We count on construction workers to keep our roads safe – and they count on all of us to keep them safe on the job,” U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg said. “In 2022, almost 900 people tragically lost their lives in work zone crashes. So this National Work Zone Awareness Week, we call on all drivers to slow down and pay attention. Our nation’s roadway workers are counting on you.”
This year’s event focuses on the theme of “Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever” which underscores how safe driving can save lives. Officials said the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is a reminder of how highway construction workers are sometimes the unsung heroes of the country’s transportation system. Last year, Maryland also saw a vehicle crash along I-695 in Baltimore County that took the lives of six workers in a road construction site.
“The men and women fixing our streets, highways and bridges are among the most vulnerable road users because their jobs require them to be on foot near oncoming traffic,” Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said. “We hope drivers stay alert so these mothers, fathers, sons and daughters who are America’s transportation heroes can do their jobs without incident and arrive home safely when their shift is over.”