Take extra care when driving in work zones
The Alabama Department of Transportation is reminding drivers of how important caution is after six highway workers in Baltimore died Wednesday when a driver hit another car and veered into a construction zone area.
Most crashes in construction zones are caused by excessive speed or distracted driving. That’s especially dangerous for workers in work zones, said ALDOT District Administrator Kevin Williamson.
“I’ll tell you, the biggest message that we can send is don’t be distracted,” he said.
Williams also recommends that drivers:
- Pay attention to surroundings
- Read road signs
- Drive slowly
- Don’t make sudden moves
“It comes back to being patient,” Williamson said. “People get in a hurry. They think they’re going to be late to something, and that’s when crashes happen.”
Fines for moving violations can be pretty steep. When workers are present, you can get a ticket for $250 or more. Alabama State Troopers and ALDOT don’t take protecting workers lightly.
“Our employees are out working every day on the side of the road and this is their job. This is how they feed their families,” Williamson said. “They’re out there doing work to try to make sure that the traveling public can move about on our highway system in a safe manner, can go to birthday parties and go to your job and be safe and not have issues. So we need to try to provide them with a safe work environment as well.”
