It’s Time for Work Zone Awareness
Each Spring, National Work Zone Awareness Week brings attention to work zones and the need for safety for drivers and workers. At Traffic Logix, we’re a big fan of Work Zone Awareness Week as we help cities and DOTs across the country to protect construction zones every day. And awareness is a critical part of protecting the millions of people who drive through or work in these zones every day. But what if awareness isn’t enough?
Work Zone Dangers
Awareness alone is certainly sobering. The most recent NHTSA data showed 891 lives were lost in just one year in U.S. work zones. Workers are certainly at risk, but most of these deaths were actually to people passing through. 742 of those killed in work zones were drivers and their pedestrians.
Everyone is at risk in work zones. That’s why this year’s theme is Respect the Zone So We All Get Home. Driving safely in work zones keeps workers safe and it also protects drivers themselves. But how can you make that awareness into a tangible plan that protects lives in and around work zones? How can you help drivers stay aware and focused as they approach and pass through work zones?
At Traffic Logix, we’re here to help make work zone safety a reality during Work Zone Awareness Week and all year long.
Protecting Work Zones
Educating people about the importance of safe driving in construction zones is a fundamental start. But what happens to that education when they’re actually passing construction? Do they remember the perils of work zones or are they lost in thought, music, or even using their phones? There are tools you can use to promote driver attention and save lives in work zones.
Driver feedback signs alert drivers to their speeds while showing them posted speed limits. The bright LED digits are a powerful tool for today’s highly visual, often distracted driver. And SafePace signs from Traffic Logix offer scheduling based on day and time so you can change speed limits based on construction schedules.
Automated speed cameras are another effective tool to help protect workers, drivers, and passengers in work zones. They can be used in conjunction with radar signs to alert drivers to slow down and penalize those who continue to speed.
To Awareness and Beyond
Awareness in the broad sense is certainly a prerequisite to safer work zone driving. But solutions like driver feedback signs and automated speed cameras help to cement that awareness and bring it into the present. Interactive signs can remind drivers to slow down right as they’re approaching work zones. They also alert them to changes in speed limits. And they flash to warn drivers who fail to slow down.
Speed cameras can also add an additional layer of protection by penalizing violators to prevent future instances of speeding. These concrete tools take the initiative of Work Zone Awareness Week and make it a reality every week of the year. Create safer construction zones with Traffic Logix solutions and prevent needless tragedies on your streets.
Find out more today!