New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
State DOT puts spotlight on work zone safety
‘The horrific crashes are up’ with 3 fatalities last year
NEWINGTON — Hundreds of drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians die every year in crashes in work zones nationwide, including three such fatalities in Connecticut last year.
And in 2020, there were nearly 900 accidents in work zones with four fatalities in the state, according to the University of Connecticut's CT Crash Data Repository.
As construction season begins each spring, the industry honors those killed and raises awareness of work zone accidents and deaths. This year, the annual National Work Zone Awareness Week runs from April 11 through April 15.
“In 2020, there were 774 fatal work zone crashes across the nation, resulting in 857 deaths,” DOT Commissioner Joe Giulietti said at the kickoff event at DOT headquarters Tuesday morning. “Out of the 857 fatalities, 117 were work zone workers.”
Work zone workers include DOT staff doing the construction, police officers and state troopers monitoring and ensuring the safety of the work zone and tow truck drivers assisting at the work sites.
In Connecticut DOT's history, 37 workers have been killed on the job in work zone accidents. A memorial featuring ribbonwrapped orange construction cones is in the DOT lobby year-round as a constant reminder of the risks that workers face daily.
While many drivers view the orange cones and barrels signifying construction as a nuisance, since January 2020, there have been 1,650 crashes in work zones in Connecticut, involving 3,273 vehicles and 4,167 people, according to UConn data.
Early data from the UConn's crash repository shows that in 2021 there were 748 crashes in work zones resulting in three deaths.
“With the approach of the highway and roadway construction season, now is that time. We have to remind everyone of the importance of paying attention to the approach and drive through work zones so that motorists and our roadway workers are safe,” Giulietti said. “Maybe the number of crashes went down, but the horrific crashes are up.”
Connecticut's DOT has a committee dedicated to raising awareness about work zone safety. It has organized the week's events since 1999, according to
DOT.
During the awareness week kickoff event, Giuletti read a proclamation from Gov. Ned Lamont, who was unable to attend since recently contracting COVID-19.
Those in attendance included Amy Jackson-Grove, Connecticut division administrator for the Federal Highway Administration; Mike Ellesio, director of fleet operations for AAA Northeast; and Naugatuck Police Officer Danielle Durrette with K-9 officer Indy.
For construction workers and police officers stationed at highway work sites, the roads are their offices, said Vincent Stetson, director of public works in South Windsor.
“Imagine looking up from your work to see a minivan traveling through the work zone, with the driver never looking up from their phone or realizing they never hit a flagger. That is enough to cause very frayed nerves among the crew members,” Stetson said.
“When an impaired drivers goes barreling through the work zone, 15-pound traffic barrels go from being helpful tools to projectiles hurtling through the air toward our employees,” he said.
Of the nation's 857 fatal work zone crashes, 37 percent involved speeding, and 170 pedestrians or bicyclists were killed, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
Stetson and DOT road workers offered tips on how to ensure a safe drive through work zones.
Texting, using social media, speeding and not obeying the orange signs leading up to construction zone are key factors in causing many of accidents, Stetson said.
“Traffic jams become even more dangerous when road rage engages two strangers that cannot seem to merge into one lane in the work zone,” he said. “These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet, they are funerals, children that no longer have fathers or mothers, and spouses that must figure out how to have a future now on their own.”
Smaller events and campaigns will take place this week to encourage drivers to recognize work zones and to be patient during delays.
On Wednesday, DOT and organizations around the country will participate in Go Orange Day, by wearing orange in support of work zone safety, according to a DOT statement. The public is encouraged to join in the campaign by posting online with the hashtags #NWZAW #ObeyTheOrange and #GoOrange4Safety.
At noon Friday, DOT encourages all residents to join the nation for a moment of silence to honor and remember people killed in work zone crashes.
“Do not value the like button on your Facebook or Instagram feed more than your fellow humans working in the roadways,” Stetson said in closing. “You will have the thanks of a child, spouse, brother or sister that has their family member come home safely as your reward.”