Henrietta, N.Y. (WBEN) - AAA Western and Central New York is emphasizing the importance of work zone safety following the death of a Thruway Authority worker on Thursday when a tractor trailer accident on the I-90 in Henrietta killed one and seriously injured another employee attempting to set up a work zone.
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"Unfortunately, this is a risk. People are just trying to do their job, this is their workspace. And you know, drivers need to respect that," says AAA's Elizabeth Carey.
Carey says most motorists fail to realize that most people that are killed in work zone accidents are the motorists and their passengers.
"We try to raise awareness in April because that's when the spring construction season really kicks in. If you take a look at the numbers nationally, in 2022, for example, 891 people died in work zones, including 94 highway workers. So that means 742 drivers and passengers also died in work zones. So it's important for drivers to remember they need to slow down, they need to follow the work zone speed limits to protect themselves and also protect these workers that are working right on the side of the road."
In March, New York State expanded the Slow Down, Move Over law for all vehicles to pull over all disabled vehicles on the roadside in an effort to protect stranded motorists.
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From 2015 through 2021 nationwide, 2,474 pedestrians were struck and killed by moving automobiles while outside a disabled vehicle, including 48 in New York.
"AAA researchers show oftentimes drivers are saying, 'We didn't realize we were putting other people at risk' or 'We didn't realize our behavior was a risk to anyone else' Because they don't understand what it's like to work on the roadside. So AAA is reminding everyone that the roadside is that workspace for you know, construction workers, first responders, tow operators. People do need to make sure they follow those posted speed limits. They really need to be alert and avoid distractions and really focus on driving."
Distracted driving is reckless driving. Make sure you follow the rules of the road.
"Don't go over the posted speed limit, especially in a work zone. This has been widely talked about, you know, there was Operation Hardhat, where they had police out there set up so that if people did speed in the work zone, they will be pulling them over right away. But that can happen 24/7, so it's the driver's responsibility to make sure that they're following those rules," said Carey.
"If you do see anything going on on the side of the road, any type of an incident, you need to slow down. If it's safe, switch lanes and move over. Slow down to 10 or 20 Miles less than the posted speed limit when you see something coming up right next to you. New York State has speed limits posted and they do have warnings posted on the thruway about losing your license if you know you're speeding in a work zone. People really need to take this seriously because one thing is a ticket, but another thing is someone having a tragedy on the side of the road and you hate to see that."
New York State Trooper Lynnea Crane spoke about the incident Thursday. She said there is no evidence the driver was impaired and the cause of the accident is not known. The driver of the tractor trailer is cooperating with the investigation.