With the time change comes increased sunlight and eventually warmer temperatures. This is when road construction and road repairs ramp up. This increase in construction comes with an increase in work zone accidents. Between 2021 and 2022, work zone fatalities increased by 7 percent while overall roadway fatalities declined by 1.7 percent. There was a decrease in the percentages of fatal work zone crashes involving rear-end collisions, but commercial motor vehicle, and fatal work zone crashes that involved speeding increased. Please share this with your family and friends to keep everyone in Sacramento and Elk Grove safer and to celebrate National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), which takes place from April 15-19, 2024.
Construction projects increase the chances of drivers getting into vehicle crashes. Most drivers associate work zone accidents with standard car crashes but there’s a visible increase in motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents and more. Some of the most common reasons for an increase in accidents during construction activity include:
- Additional debris on the road and sidewalks
- Drivers failing to reduce speeds around construction workers
- Distracted driving
- Drivers confused by or ignoring hazard signals
- Disruptions to normal traffic patterns
- Narrowed lanes leading to bottlenecking
While there’s an increased risk during construction activity there are steps you can take to keep yourself (and other drivers) safe. Here are four tips to avoid work zone accidents:
Slow Down Around Work Zones: Whether you’re driving, walking, or bicycling near or through a construction zone, it’s best to reduce your speed so that you can pay extra attention to your surroundings. If you’re driving, keep an eye out for any debris that could cause you to lose control of your vehicle. If you’re walking, look out for any objects or damaged surfaces that could cause a slip and fall injury.
Turn Down Your Stereo: While listening to music is an important part of driving for many people, it’s best to reduce the volume or turn the sound system off completely while driving through work zones. Jackhammers and other heavy machinery can make listening difficult, which could cause you to miss indications of danger.
Use Your GPS To Avoid Construction: The best way to avoid a work zone accident is by not driving through construction at all. Modern GPS systems, such as Waze or Apple CarPlay, do a great job of optimizing your route to avoid construction. Even if you’re going to a place you drive through frequently, using GPS can alert you to any construction sites along the way so that you can avoid them.
Follow The Rules: This seems like common sense but observing posted speed limits in work zones and stay within the areas designated for driving by traffic cones will go a long way to avoiding these crashes. The speed limits and cones are there to help keep everyone in the work zone safe.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when insurance companies fail to offer full compensation. We help with serious injuries that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth, LLP. Our attorneys have more than 60 years of experience specializing in only representing injured people. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We would be honored to represent you!
