Tuesday,
April 8, 2003
FHWA 9-03
Contacts:
FHWA, Bill Outlaw (202) 366-0660
AASHTO, Jennifer Gavin (202) 624-3690
ATSSA, James Baron, (800) 272-8772, ext. 113
Transportation
Partners Promote Safety At Fourth Annual Work Zone Awareness Event
With a more than 55 percent increase in work zone
fatalities between 1997 and 2001, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta
today marked National Work Zone Awareness Week by urging motorists to exercise
greater caution and drive safely through work zones. National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 6-12 this year.
“The Bush Administration is committed to improving safety
on our nation’s highways, and this campaign helps alert motorists to drive
carefully through highway construction zones,” Secretary Mineta said.
“We can improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and construction
workers by exercising caution and following good safety practices in highway
work zones.”
In 2001, the latest year for which this information is
available, 1,079 people were killed in work zone-related crashes.
Four out of five of them were motorists.
At the fourth annual National Work Zone Awareness Week
kick-off event today in Washington, D.C., a field of orange work zone cones
draped with black memorial ribbons to commemorated motorists who died, and
fluorescent yellow-green ribbons commemorated workers who were killed.
“Repairs and improvements are needed on our nations
streets and highways to enhance safety and mobility,” Federal Highway
Administrator Mary E. Peters said. “Each
year, too many people are killed in work zone crashes.
These cones serve as a reminder of the real tragedy – each one of these
deaths was preventable.”
The number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in
work zones rose from 693 in 1997 to a high of 1,079 in 2001.
In addition, more than 40,000 people are injured in work zones each year.
In addition to officials from the U.S. Department of
Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), representatives of the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the
American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), and numerous road safety
and construction groups participated in the kick-off event at Freedom Plaza in
Washington, DC.
“Work zones are necessary to keep us all moving.
But they do pose a danger – a very real danger – to both the workers
and the people in the vehicles, and avoiding that danger is largely in the
control of motorists,” said John Horsley, Executive Director of AASHTO.
“Unfortunately, the statistics speak for themselves.
The number of people killed on our roadways is too high.
The number of people killed in work zones is too high.
The battle to drive these numbers down must continue to be one of the
primary focuses for the roadway safety industry and the motoring public,” said
Kathi Holst, President of ATSSA.
The FHWA asked motorists to observe the orange signs along roads that indicate work zones. The highway agency also offered the following “Safety Tips to Live By”:
Stay alert and give full attention to the roadway.
Pay close attention to signs and work zone flaggers.
Turn on headlights so workers and other drivers can see your vehicle.
Do not tailgate.
Do not speed. Slow down to the posted speed limits.
Keep up with the traffic flow.
Do not change lanes in work zones.
Minimize distractions in vehicles. Avoid changing radio stations and using mobile phones in work zones.
Expect the unexpected. Keep an eye on workers and their equipment.
Be
patient. Remember work zones
are necessary to improve roads and make them safer.
Additional information about work zone safety is available by clicking on Work Zone Awareness Week at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/.