The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) wants to raise awareness about the importance of Work Zone Safety. With lane shifts, barrels, signs, lights, and busy workers, work zones can be areas of high-activity and congestion. These can be dangerous areas, not just for roadside workers but for motorists, too. According to TxDOT, the top two causes of work zone crashes are speeding and driver inattention, both of which are completely preventable.
TxDOT wants drivers to slow down and pay attention while they’re traveling through work zones. Speeding fines are doubled in these areas for a reason. Workers are only a few feet from the road, so they’re counting on drivers to slow down and pay close attention to the task of driving. TxDOT is also calling on drivers to exercise patience and allow for extra time in getting to their destinations safely as they navigate through busy work zones.
Texas Work Zone Crash Facts
- In recognition of National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 8-12, 2019, TxDOT reminds drivers that every single day requires caution when driving through work zones.
- As Texas’s population continues to grow, the price of progress can mean as many as 3,000 active work zones across 80,000 miles of state-maintained highways.
- In 2018, there were 25,162 crashes in work zones, resulting in 161 fatalities and another 684 serious injuries.
- The vast majority of those killed (84%) were motorists and/or their passengers. The leading causes of work zone crash statewide – speeding and driver inattention – are entirely preventable.
National Work Zone Awareness Week
TxDOT, as well as many other local, state, and national traffic safety organizations, will be observing National Work Zone Awareness Week. This year, National Work Zone Awareness Week will run from April 3rd through the 7th. During this time, officials with TxDOT will be urging drivers to slow down and pay attention. Exercising additional caution in a work zone could save your life or the lives of others.
Work zone safety is everybody’s responsibility. Remember that speeding and driver inattention are the two most common causes of work zone crashes. Before you get behind the wheel, put the phone on silent or somewhere you won’t be tempted to check it. Whether you’re driving through a work zone or across town, always observe and follow posted signs and speed limits. Not only will it help keep roadways safe, but it could also save you from an expensive work-zone speeding ticket too.
If you have been injured or if you’ve lost a loved one in a work zone car accident in or near Conroe, TX, contact Scott Law Firm at (936) 243-4299 for a free case consultation today.
