We find ourselves in the middle of yet another construction season. I feel that this year could be a bit more stressful for those working in road construction zones than in years past. As the nation emerges from the isolation of the pandemic, more and more Americans have been taking to the roads and highways. Construction crews may be facing traffic volumes they have not encountered in more than a year and thus facing more dangerous incidents.
But apparently, this is not the case.
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and HCSS Inc. released the results of their annual highway work zone survey a couple of months ago. One major finding was that 60% of highway contractors reported vehicle crashes at their work zones during the past year. 78% of the contractors that were surveyed said highway work zones are less safe today than they were 10 years ago. The reasons given were cellphone usage, speeding, and heavier traffic volumes.
And according to AGC’s chief economist, Ken Simonson, the pandemic-induced decline in traffic volumes appears to have had little impact on highway work zone safety. Among survey respondents, only 34% reported any apparent increase in safety because of lower traffic volumes, while 30% said low volumes had made conditions less safe by encouraging motorists to drive faster, and 35% reported no change in job site safety due to lower traffic volumes. The survey involved interviews with almost 300 highway construction firms in April and May.
Check out this graphic summarizing the survey:
As Nick Fortuna reports for the AGC, Simonson says, “The men and women of the construction industry are frequently working just a few feet, and sometimes inches, away from speeding vehicles. Too often, drivers who are distracted, speeding and/or under the influence crash into those work zones, putting workers and themselves at risk of serious harm and death.”
Fortuna adds that construction firms are doing what they can to improve safety conditions such as special training programs to make workers more aware of their surroundings, better signage and markings at job sites, improved layouts, and the usage of concrete barriers. There is even technology such as wearable devices that alert workers when vehicles encroach on work zones.
But only so much can be done on our end. Laws and law enforcement need to be involved in making significant safety improvements. When I say “’Tis the Season,” I am not referring to the highway construction and repair season. I mean now is the season for all parties involved—contractors, lawmakers, law enforcement, and most of all, those driving by construction zones—to make work sites safer.
