Drivers: protect our workers in construction zones by playing it safe

For drivers, roadwork zones are often talked about as a mere inconvenience. They add delays to travel time on work and vacation, usually with the additional frustration of being unsure of when these zones start or end. This isn’t just happening in major urban areas either: roadway infrastructure projects are underway all over the United States, and we could stand to see a lot more.

But those of us who understand the importance of this infrastructure take pride in our jobs and the service it provides for our communities. So whether or not driving through a work zone creates a minor setback in your daily routine, it is incredibly important to be respectful of the efforts and the lives of America’s road workers.

• Carefully observe all posted signs in work zones. Signs will alert you to the presence of roadwork and construction workers and notify you of safe behavior within those work zones. Abiding by these rules while traveling through shows that you care about workers’ health and safety.

• Don’t drive distracted. We often talk about this related to driving in general, but attention to your driving is especially important when you’re likely to be around others in the process of carrying out their duties. Road workers often operate in constricted and dangerous situations—we don’t need to make it more difficult for them by not keeping our eyes on the road.

• Keep a safe distance from the vehicles in front of you. You may be frustrated and in a hurry, but while a wreck could just be an insurance problem for you in your car, it could prove fatal for someone doing their job on the road. Remind yourself that while this may cost you time, you are demonstrating your respect for workers by driving carefully.

All in all, it takes very little effort to conduct yourself in construction zones in a way that respects the workers doing their jobs to improve our shared communities. Stand with Wright Brothers in believing that the lives of our construction workers are a top priority while on the road, and do what you must to protect their health and safety.