Forty-four percent of highway contractors reported motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). As a result, association officials launched a new national advertising and outreach campaign to urge motorists to stay alert and slow down while driving through highway work zones.
AGC CEO Stephen E. Sandherr said 49 percent of contractors who reported work zone crashes on their projects said motor vehicle operators or passengers were injured, and 13 percent of those crashes involved a driver or passenger fatality. Highway work zone crashes also pose a significant risk for construction workers. Sandherr said 25 percent of work zone crashes injure construction workers, and 11 percent of those crashes kill them.
Work zone crashes also have a pronounced impact on construction schedules and costs, Sandherr said. He noted 27 percent of contractors reported work zone crashes during the past year have forced them to temporarily shut down construction activity. Those delays were often lengthy, as 52 percent of those project shutdowns lasted two or more days.
Association officials said a majority of contractors (82 percent) report motor vehicle crashes pose a greater risk today than they did just 10 years ago. That is why the association is launching a new national advertising campaign designed to help improve the safety of the nation's highway work zones.
For more information, visit www.Agc.org or call (703) 548-3118.