(WWJ) — Springtime means warmer weather, blooming flowers and the start of baseball season. But in Michigan, it also means orange construction barrels.
As road construction season starts to ramp up, officials are reminding drivers to take extra caution when driving through work zones.
Monday marks the beginning of National Work Zone Awareness Week and officials want drivers to make safety their top priority in construction zones.
Craig Bryson with the Road Commission for Oakland County says there are two common occurrences that lead to workers being put in danger.
"No. 1 is distraction — people looking at their phones, or their radio, or the other direction — or people — we had this problem in a big way last year — people just get impatient, they don't want to wait, they get angry. We had a driver last year, literally ran into, intentionally, one of our flaggers because he was angry that he had to wait for our construction project," Bryson said, speaking live on WWJ Sunday morning.
The RCOC says there are three main tips to make work zones safer for both drivers and workers:
• Avoid distractions: Keep your focus on the road and avoid distractions such as texting, talking on the phone or engaging in other activities that take your attention away from driving.
• Obey the posted speed limits: Adhere to posted speed limits, which are often reduced in work zones to account for changing conditions, sudden stops and the presence of workers.
• Read the signs: Pay close attention to signs in work zones, including lane closures, detours and other important information to navigate safely.
Last year in Michigan two workers were killed by drivers in work zones, while there were 17 fatal crashes in work zones, meaning people other than the workers were killed, according to Bryson.
"That's part of the danger, too. This is not just dangerous for the road workers. There's a reason we don't allow traffic in the work zone. No. 1 is to protect the workers, No. 2 is to protect the motorists themselves; these are dangerous areas with lots of heavy equipment," Bryson said.
"The RCOC encourages drivers to plan ahead, be patient and allow extra time for travel when passing through work zones. By working together to prioritize safety, we can reduce accidents and protect the lives of workers and motorists alike," officials said in a press release.
As part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, officials are encouraging the public to wear orange on Wednesday.
For more information about National Work Zone Awareness Week and tips for safe driving in work zones, visit https://www.nwzaw.org/.
