HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Move over, slow down, save lives. That's the message during National Work Zone Awareness week as road construction projects ramp up across Alabama.
“Tragic loss of life that happens each year in work zones can be avoided,” said Allison Green, ALDOT Drive Safe Alabama coordinator. “Just move over and slow down, so that those working along the roadway and you and your passengers can all get home safely.”
The Alabama Dept. of Transportation says that a common misconception is that most of those killed in work zone crashes are workers. National statistics show that four out of every five of those killed are motorists although when workers are present, they are the most vulnerable to injury and death. Most work zone crashes are rear-end collisions, resulting from speeding or distractions such as cell phones.
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ALDOT offers these tips for driving safely in work zones:
- Drive alert. Don’t drive distracted by texting, eating, or other activities that take your hands off the wheel. Look for highway workers, reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes, and road signs announcing work zones, lane closures, detours, and slow or stopped traffic.
- Slow down. Don’t drive beyond the posted speed limit through the work zone. Keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you.
- Don’t tailgate. Watch for large trucks. Maintain a safe distance on all sides of your vehicle, so that you don’t clip a nearby vehicle and cause that vehicle to also crash into the work zone.
In Alabama, fines are doubled if a driver is caught speeding in a work zone where workers are present. A bill in Alabama legislature would expand the existing law regarding violations and fines in designated construction zones from only speeding fines to all moving violations. The bill also changes fines for violations in construction zones to the greater of $250 or double the amount prescribed by law outside a construction zone. This means that the fine would be at least $250 and could be much more.
ALDOT say that in 2020, preliminary numbers for 2020, show there were 2,378 work zone crashes in Alabama, resulting in 19 fatalities and 616 injuries. This is an increase in fatal crashes compared to 2019, when there were 3,126 work zone crashes, resulting in 16 fatalities and 812 injuries. In the United States, 842 people died in roadway work zone crashes in 2019.
