Drivers urged to use caution in work zones

Posted by Press Release on March 23, 2015

To showcase, National Work Zone Awareness Week, officials from PennDOT, the Pennsylvania State Police, municipal police, Buckle Up Pennsylvania, the Chester County Highway Safety Project, and the Montgomery County Health Department joined forces on Monday, March 23, to remind motorists to drive safely in work zones as construction season arrives in Pennsylvania.

At a news conference, PennDOT Acting District Executive Christine Reilly, PennDOT maintenance employees, and state and municipal police offered remarks from a work zone operation near U.S. 422 and Armand Hammer Boulevard in Pottstown, where they discussed the need for caution in work zones and work-zone law enforcement efforts, a PennDOT press release said.

According to PennDOT data, in 2013 there were 1,845 crashes in Pennsylvania work zones, with 16 people killed in those crashes. Since 1970, 85 PennDOT employees have been killed in the line of duty statewide.

National Work Zone Awareness Week runs from Monday, March 23, through Friday, March 27. This year’s theme is "Expect the Unexpected.”

If you encounter our work zones, please keep the following tips in mind for your safety and the safety of highway workers:

Drive the posted work-zone speed limit;
Stay alert and pay close attention to signs and flaggers;
Turn on your headlights if signs instruct you to do so;
Maintain a safe distance around vehicles. Don’t tailgate;
Use four-way flashers when stopped or traveling slowly;
Avoid distractions and give your full attention to the road;
Always buckle up;
Expect the unexpected; and
Be patient.

Information on work-zone safety laws are available under the “Work Zone” information center at www.JustDrivePA.com.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 700 traffic cameras.