Work Zone Safety
Head Up, Phone Down
Keeping drivers and workers safe during construction season
By Rindi White
Head Up, Phone Down
Keeping drivers and workers safe during construction season
By Rindi White
I

t’s been said there are two seasons in Alaska: winter and construction season. National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 15 through 19, is an early season reminder that, during construction season, motorists need to take special care when going through construction zones to pay attention, slow down, and exercise caution.

dog wearing a hard hat and a neon vest inside of a construction vehicle
Alaskans participated in Go Orange Day throughout the state during the 2024 National Work Zone Awareness Week.
man posing to a cardboard cutout of a bird holding a SLOW sign
The 2024 Work Zone Awareness Week theme is “Work Zones are Temporary: Actions Behind the Wheel Can Last Forever.”

“Work Zone Awareness Week is an opportunity for us to emphasize the importance of safe driving practices in and around construction zones,” says Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Commissioner Ryan Anderson. “Our dedicated crews work tirelessly to improve and maintain Alaska’s transportation infrastructure, and it is imperative that motorists do their part to keep them safe.”

Reducing Total Fatalities
Beyond safety in work zones, Alaska has joined the US Department of Transportation, or USDOT, in working toward the goal of reaching zero roadway fatalities. According to USDOT, roadway fatalities have declined over the past thirty years, but progress has stalled in the last decade and is moving the other direction. In 2021, nearly 43,000 people died on US roads, the highest number of fatalities since 2005. Nearly as many died in 2022.

In an effort to reduce fatalities, USDOT implemented a National Roadway Safety Strategy that includes five elements: safer people, safer roads, safer vehicles, safer speeds, and better post-crash care.

The approach acknowledges human mistakes as well as human vulnerability and designs a redundant system to protect everyone.

Total Work Zone Fatal Crashes
Signs of improvement
Data on work zone fatalities is a little more optimistic; nationally the rate of work zone fatalities decreased by 7 percent between 2021 and 2022, the first time the rate decreased in several years, according to the Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA.

Work Zone Awareness Week organizers offered a few tips for improving work zone safety:

  • Reroute. Avoid traveling through work zones, if possible. Otherwise, allow extra time for possible delays and travel safely.
  • Avoid distractions. Workers are focused on their jobs in work zones; be vigilant behind the wheel to safely travel through the work zone by putting down your phone and paying attention while driving.
  • Reduce speed. Follow speed limits to make driving through narrow lanes and lane shifts easier and safer for you while keeping workers safe.
  • Be aware of workers. The work area is often very close to travel lanes, so please be considerate: Take care and slow down when you see workers.
  • Watch for pedestrians and bicyclists. Work zones often restrict where nonmotorized road users can travel. In 2022, 145 persons on foot and bicyclists lost their lives in work zone crashes.
  • Give large vehicles space. Narrow lanes, unexpected lane shifts, and longer braking distances are challenges for large vehicles. Allow extra space for them to safely navigate work zones. In 2022, 30 percent of fatal work zone crashes involved commercial motor vehicles, which include large trucks and buses.Take care around large construction vehicles, which may be driving at slower speeds to enter and exit the work area.
  • Stay alert. Be prepared for sudden stops. Work zones may cause unexpected slowdowns. In 2022, 21 percent of all fatal work zone crashes involved rear-end collisions.
Rindi White is editor of The Alaska Contractor magazine. Photos provided by AGC of Alaska and infographics provided by US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.