Road workers to driving public: Slow down in construction zones
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: