Work Zones Are a Sign to Slow Down title
Work Zones Are a Sign to Slow Down title
Make sure everyone makes it home safely
By Rindi White
I

t’s a message that bears repeating—again and again: Slow down in work zones. Stay focused. Speed kills. And the majority of people killed in work zone crashes are motorists and their passengers.

According to the most recent data available from workzonesafety.org, 857 people were killed in 774 fatal work zone crashes in 2020. Of that number, 117 were people working in the construction zone.

“National Work Zone Awareness Week was established with roadway workers in mind, but the statistics make it abundantly clear that everyone is at risk in work zones,” American Traffic Safety Services Association, or ATSSA, President and CEO Stacy Tetschner says. “The goal of this week is for motorists to slow when approaching and passing through roadway work zones so everyone makes it home safely.”

The numbers are staggering. According to 2020 data from workzonesafety.org, about 102,000 crashes and an estimated 44,000 injuries happened in work zones that year. Of the 857 total work zone fatalities, 244 involved commercial motor vehicles. And 156 pedestrians were killed in work zones in 2020.

silhouette of traffic cone
Pay Attention
In 2020, 170 persons on foot and bicyclists lost their lives in work zone crashes.
silhouette of slow down sign
Slow Down
Speed was a contributing factor in over 37% of 2020 fatal work zone crashes, increasing from 32% the year prior.
silhouette of roadway sign
Work Zone Crashes Occur on All Types of Roadways
Collector road crashes increased from 6% in 2019 to 8% in 2020.
silhouette of traffic cone
Pay Attention
In 2020, 170 persons on foot and bicyclists lost their lives in work zone crashes.
silhouette of slow down sign
Slow Down
Speed was a contributing factor in over 37% of 2020 fatal work zone crashes, increasing from 32% the year prior.
silhouette of roadway sign
Work Zone Crashes Occur on All Types of Roadways
Collector road crashes increased from 6% in 2019 to 8% in 2020.
TOTAL WORK ZONE TRAFFIC FATALITIES5
Based on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) databy person type
Drivers and passengers
Persons on foot and bicyclists
Others
Occupants of a non-motor vehicle transport device and persons on personal conveyances
2019
2020
845
857
690
680
141
17O
14
7
TOTAL WORK ZONE FATAL TRAFFIC CRASHES6
Based on NHTSA FARS data by type of roadway
pie graph from 2019
pie graph from 2020
The following types of fatal work zone crashes changed significantly from 2019 to 2020:
 
2019
2020
  • Involving a Rear-End Collision
184
24%
156
20%
  • Involving a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV)
252
33%
208
27%
  • Where Speeding Was a Factor
242
32%
287
37%
pie graph from 2019
pie graph from 2020
The following types of fatal work zone crashes changed significantly from 2019 to 2020:
 
2019
2020
  • Involving a Rear-End Collision
184
24%
156
20%
  • Involving a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV)
252
33%
208
27%
  • Where Speeding Was a Factor
242
32%
287
37%
HIGHWAY WORKER OCCUPATIONAL FATALITIES IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION SITES7
Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data
2019
135
2020
117
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration logo
Visit the FHWA Work Zone Management website at www.fhwa.dot.gov/workzones and the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse website at www.workzonesafety.org for access to resources, guidance, and training. 5, 6 FARS 2019 Final File and 2020 Annual Report File, NHTSA. FARS data shown here are from the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 7 2019 and 2020 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with States, New York City, the District of Columbia, and Federal agencies. Note: Figures are subject to revision, as values reported in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) may be updated intermittently. Values shown here reflect what is reported by NHTSA as of March 2022. Infographics courtesy of U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration’s Work Zones Are a Sign to Slow Down, 2022 National Work Zone Awareness Week, FHWA-HOP-22-050, published March 2022.
AASTA officials are upbeat about the roadway safety funding provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, which passed in late 2021. Chief among the highlights of the bill is $16.8 billion in funding for the national Highway Safety Improvement Program, or HSIP, over five years. That’s a $3 billion increase over five years from the previous transportation package. Within that funding, states can flex up to 10 percent of funds to pay for behavioral safety programs, with the goal of making drivers more aware of unsafe behaviors and curbing them.

The bill also includes a $5 billion competitive grant program focused on giving state and local governments resources to implement programs that dramatically reduce roadway fatalities. Among other road safety programs, the Work Zone Safety Grant program, which develops and provides highway work zone safety training and guidelines to reduce and prevent work zone injuries and fatalities, was continued with a new component encouraging state transportation departments to ensure the most effective safety countermeasures are used in work zones.

Federal Highway Administration Virginia Division Administrator Thomas L. Nelson Jr. speaking at a podium
Federal Highway Administration Virginia Division Administrator Thomas L. Nelson Jr. spoke during the Tuesday, April 12 kickoff event in Hampton, Virginia.
display of twenty-eight cones represent twenty-six motorists and two workers who were killed in work zones in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2021
At the opening event of National Work Zone Safety Week, a display of twenty-eight cones represent twenty-six motorists and two workers who were killed in work zones in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2021.

Photos courtesy of the American Traffic Safety Services Administration.

April 11 through 15 was National Work Zone Awareness Week this year. The kickoff was hosted by the Virginia Department of Transportation, but the event was recognized by construction workers across the nation, with some wearing orange on Go Orange Day, April 13, and others holding safety talks with workers on Work Zone Safety Training Day, April 11. A social media storm, with workers sharing tips on social platforms with the hashtags #NWZAW and #WorkZoneSafety, took place on April 14, and a collective moment of silence was held on April 15 in remembrance of people who lost their lives in a work zone incident.

The week-long event was organized by the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the loved ones of people affected by work zone safety incidents. Started in 1997 by a group of Virginia Department of Transportation staff members, the event was dedicated to raising awareness about work zone safety among all Virginia Department of Transportation employees before construction season began. The event went national in 2000.

clipart of road
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