More danger for drivers than for workers

Highway work zone accidents increasing

Most work zone accident victims are motorists, a fact that the public may not realize, says E. Dean Carlson, Kansas Secretary of Transportation. He was testifying before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

“This is a point that should be driven home in every campaign for work zone safety,” Carlson said, “because most drivers think it’s not their problem.”

A Georgia Department of Transportation survey found that 70 percent of the drivers in its focus groups believed work zones were more dangerous for the workers standing outside on the project than for vehicle occupants.

While the government and the highway contractors are doing what they can to make navigating work zones easier and more safe, drivers should have a high degree of self-interest.