In honor of National Work Zone Awareness Week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has issued a plea for more vigilance on the part of motorists in construction zones. The yearly event promotes awareness of the need for cautious driving in construction zones to avoid the tragic consequences of collisions between road personnel and drivers. In 2018, the call to action was “Work With Us.”
There were 4,628 accidents in Ohio’s work zones in 2020, resulting in 23 de@ths, but thankfully no employees were hurt. In the same year, 857 individuals were k!lled in 774 fatal collisions in work zones around the country.
In 2022, troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol issued 4,477 tickets for speeding in a construction zone, with more than a third of them being given for going 20 or more miles per hour above the limit.
Despite the risks, many drivers still aren’t paying attention, with speeding and following too closely being identified as significant causes of accidents in construction zones. Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Jack Marchbanks stressed the need for everyone’s cooperation in keeping work zones safe, reminding motorists to slow down in construction zones, exercise caution, and allow road employees enough room to do their jobs.
Wednesday (April 19) is “Go Orange Day,” a day of National Work Zone Awareness Week. Public members are urged to wear orange and share images of themselves doing so on social media using the hashtags #NWZAW and #Orange4Safety. There will be a social media campaign on Thursday (April 20) and a minute of silence on Friday.
The freshest information on events at Oregon State is as follows:
- The Oregon House Enacted HB 2680 to Protect Renters’ Rights.
- Oregon Extends State Income Tax Deadline Due to Internet Outage.
Highway technician Tim Felton drove home the issue of work zone safety by highlighting the need to ensure everyone can go home safely at the end of the day. Steve Lafferty, who was seriously injured along with his coworkers in 2002 while working on an ODOT team, described how the incident occurred.
In March of 2018, John Pasko, an ODOT employee, was murdered on the job while cutting brush near Interstate 680 in Mahoning County. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has added his name to the ODOT Worker Memorial, commemorating the lives of all ODOT workers k!lled while doing their jobs.
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