ENSURING SAFETY IN ROAD WORK ZONES

In each of the past four years, about 775 people were killed in highway work zones, according to the NHTSA. Most of those accidents occurred at night, when many crews do most of their work, and most were the result of excessive speeding or inattention by motorists. Data from NHTSA and FHWA also show about 24,000 injury crashes annually in work zones. In response, federal regulators are working to fine-tune work zone guidelines and improve the safety of traffic control devices, while many states have cracked down on motorists who drive recklessly near work zones. Meanwhile, better training, advances in technology and consumer education campaigns have all played a role in improving safety for road construction workers. Keywords: Driver distraction;