Thirty-eight percent of highway contractors had motor vehicles crash into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study conducted by AGC of America. Association officials added that the study found work zone crashes are more likely to kill vehicle operators and passengers than construction workers. “Any time your job site is just a few feet away from fast moving traffic, danger is never far away,” said Mike Hoover, the chair of the association’s national highway and transportation division and executive vice president of Tempe, Ariz.-based Sundt Construction. “When you see construction signs and orange barrels, take your foot off the gas, put the phone down, and keep your eyes on the road.”
The work zone safety study was based on a nationwide survey of highway construction firms conducted by the association in March and April of this year. Nearly 800 contractors completed the survey nationwide, while a large enough sample of contractors in eight states completed the survey to allow for state-specific results.
View the national highway construction zone survey results. View results for Texas, California, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Colorado, Kentucky and Washington State.