TEXAS, USA — Traffic deaths in Texas work zones increased by 33% last year and claimed the lives of 244 people, with drivers and their passengers accounting for the majority of those deaths.
"We take every precaution we can to create a safe work zone to get the traveling public through, but we noticed that people do travel too fast and they may not be observant of us out there on the roadway," TxDOT Work Zone Chief for the Waco district Bill Kirksey said.
While speeding and driver inattention is the leading cause of these crashes, the nature of work zones, in general, can make it easier to get into an accident. Whether it be the shortening of lanes, decreased quality of roads, or unfamiliar stops and starts.
That's why rear-end collisions are the most common work zone crash according to Bobby Colwell from TxDOT's Bryan district.
"That is one of the reasons that we ask you to first and foremost please when you see a work zone ahead, slow down," Colwell said. "You've got to pay attention and be aware of what's happening around you because you're going from two lanes to one."
That's why TxDOT is spreading the word about Be Safe. Drive Smart, sharing safety tips for national work zone awareness week.
"The only thing that we've got to protect us pretty much is this orange shirt," Colwell said. "We wouldn't go 100 miles an hour through your work zone where you work. And so we're asking you to please slow down as you go through."
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