Construction group launches new highway work zone safety effort

Forty-four per cent of US highway contractors reported that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America. As a result, association officials have launched a new national advertising and outreach campaign to urge motorists to stay alert and slow down while driving through highway work zones. Stephen E. Sandherr, chief executive officer for the association
May 26, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Forty-four per cent of US highway contractors reported that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America. As a result, association officials have launched a new national advertising and outreach campaign to urge motorists to stay alert and slow down while driving through highway work zones.


Stephen E. Sandherr, chief executive officer for the association said that 49 per cent of contractors who reported work zone crashes on their projects said that motor vehicle operators or passengers were injured and 13 per cent of those crashes involved a driver or passenger fatality.  Highway work zone crashes also pose a significant risk for construction workers, Sandherr noted.  He said 25 percent of work zone crashes injure construction workers and 11 per cent of those crashes kill them.

Sandherr noted that the campaign will feature new radio ads that will air in dozens of cities around the country that caution drivers to be careful in highway work zones.  The ads warn drivers that speeding, texting and losing focus while in work zones aren’t worth the “nightmare” of killing workers, drivers or passengers.

“There is no meeting, email or text that is more important than the safety of workers or motorists,” said Sandherr. “It is absolutely essential for every driver to slow down, pay attention and put the phone down while driving through highway work zones.”

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • May 27, 2014
    Is the smartphone a driver's best friend?
    The smartphone is a driver’s best friend – or so it seems: apps help them navigate, avoid congestion, identify a parking space, locate an EV charge point, find the area’s cheapest fuel, check the weather, pay tolls … the list goes on. While some have voice actuation, the whole issue of driver-related apps still concerns me. The World Health Organisation / National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSA) report Mobile Phone Use: A Growing Problem of Driver Distraction says: ‘…studies suggest that driver
    Read More
  • January 30, 2012
    Open road tolling: safer with less congestion
    Michael J. Davis of PBS&J looks at the positive effect that open road tolling can have on safety
    Read More
  • August 24, 2021
    Transit’s Covid clean-up operation
    The onset of Covid-19 saw ridership on public transport slump drastically. How will the organisations that provide these essential services persuade customers back on board?
    Read More
  • August 14, 2015
    Study: Consumers do not understand vehicle safety features
    A new study by the University of Iowa found that a majority of drivers expressed uncertainty about how many potentially life-saving vehicle safety technologies work. The survey also showed that 40 per cent of drivers report that their vehicles have acted or behaved in unexpected ways. The study, conducted by the University of Iowa Transportation and Vehicle Safety Research Division, examined drivers' knowledge of vehicle safety systems, as well as their understanding and use of defensive driving techniqu
    Read More

Highlighted Content