With the summer travel season already underway, the American Roads & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is urging motorists to drive carefully through roadway work zones.

AAA says the expected 2012 Independence Day holiday travel volume will tie the past decade’s previous high mark set in 2007 and represents a near 42 percent increase from 2009.  The group defines the Independence Day holiday travel period as Tuesday, July 3 to Sunday, July 8.

Nearly 600 people were killed in road construction zones in 2010—the most current year of available data. Nearly 90 percent of those fatalities were drivers and their passengers. More than 35,000 people—enough to fill most major league baseball stadiums in the U.S.—are also injured in accidents at these sites, according to the federal government.

ARTBA offers these tips to help motorists safely navigate work zones:

• Stay alert.  Dedicate your full attention to the roadway.
• Don’t speed.  Note the posted speed limits in and around the work zone.
• Pay close attention.  Signs and work zone flaggers save lives.
• Don’t tailgate. The most common accident in a work zone is a rear-end crash because the driver was too close to the car in front.
• Minimize distractions.  Avoid changing radio stations and using mobile devices while driving.
• Expect the unexpected.  Keep an eye out for workers and their equipment.
• Be patient.  Remember that work zone crew members are working to improve your future ride.

To learn more about road construction safety, visit the ARTBA Foundation-managed National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse at www.workzonesafety.org. The facility, housed at the Texas Transportation Institute in College Station, is the world’s largest online road construction safety source and handles more than 200,000 information requests annually.