Slow Down: It’s National Work Zone Awareness Week

National Work Zone Awareness Week: Prevent Car Accidents, Protect Workers

April 3-7 is National Work Zone Awareness Week. As construction season approaches, we remind Pennsylvania drivers to take extra caution when moving through a work zone.

Pennsylvania drivers are used to road work. It can be easy to take construction zones for granted and zip through orange barrel-and-cone mazes without care.

National Work Zone Awareness Week reminds drivers everywhere to slow down and take care in road construction zones.  Last year, there were more than 2,000 crashes in Pennsylvania road work zones.  While highway workers are highly vulnerable, drivers and passengers make up the majority of work zone fatalities.

And, recklessness in a work zone can cost you. In PA, speeding fines are doubled in construction zones. If you cause a serious injury in a work zone, you face a $5,000 fine and a six-month license suspension.

Pay attention. It only takes a moment of distraction to take a life. In work zones, watch for sudden changes in traffic speed, lane shifts, and construction vehicles entering the roadway.

Watch out for workers. Highway construction is a dangerous job. It involves performing tough manual labor while cars and trucks barrel through their workplace at up to 60 miles an hour. Keep your eyes on the road, slow down, and move over if you need to.

Be patient. PennDOT employees want to get home from work safely as much as you do. Work zones might mean frustrating periods of slow or stop-and-go traffic. But, giving in to road rage only puts you and everyone around you more at risk for an accident.

If you or someone you love suffered a serious injury while working or driving in a construction zone, contact Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys for a free consultation. Our personal injury attorneys represent victims of work, car, truck, and other types of serious accidents.