Work Zone Safety

Overview

The Georgia DOT participates in a statewide Work Zone Safety awareness and education campaign. This campaign is designed to educate highway construction and maintenance workers, contractors and the motoring public about the dangerous conditions in work zones. A key element of this campaign is to inform motorists that they are more likely to be killed or injured in work zones accidents than Georgia DOT employees or contract workers.

In an effort to promote public safety, the Georgia DOT is encouraging motorists to slow down when driving through work zones. Funding for this campaign is being provided through a federal safety awareness grant. The campaign includes statewide radio, television and billboard ads to remind drivers to slow down in work zones.

The Cold Hard Facts

• One work zone fatality occurs every 8.2 hours nationwide. That’s three a day!
• One work zone injury occurs every nine minutes nationally. That’s a whopping 160 a day!
• Three out of four work zone fatalities are not part of the work crew – they are your family members, your co-workers, your friends – motorists and passengers like you and me.
• Nationally 1,000 motorists die each year and nearly 40,000 more are injured.
• In 2005, Georgia lost 61 people in work zone accidents.

Since 1973, there have been 56 Georgia DOT employees killed in work zones.

Employees Killed:
1997: 0
1998: 1
1999: 2
2000: 0
2001: 1
2002: 1
2003: 0
2004: 1
2005: 1
2006: 0
2007: 0

A person convicted of exceeding the speed limit in a work zone can be fined between $200 and $2,000. (OCGA 40-6-188)

What’s Your Role in Work Zone Safety?

Slow Down: Speeding is the most common factor in a work zone safety accident.

Pace Yourself: Don’t tailgate other motorists or construction vehicles.

Read all signs: Signs are in place to assist in safely directing motorists through the work zone.

Obey road crew flaggers: These workers are equivalent to traffic signals.

Stay Alert: Minimize distractions and give your full attention to the road.

Expect the Unexpected: Lane shifts, reduced speeds and work crews are all possibilities within a work zone.

Keep up with the flow of traffic.

Slow down.  It won't kill you.