On Monday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) expressed concern over the “disproportional involvement” of large trucks in fatal crashes in construction zones.
For 2021 National Work Zone Awareness Week taking place April 26 — 30, the FMCSA issued a statement calling for all drivers to “share work zones safely” by paying attention to signs, allowing extra space, and staying alert in construction areas.
“Fatal crashes occurring in work zones are both tragic and absolutely preventable,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi. “I am especially concerned that large trucks continue to have a disproportional involvement in fatal crashes occurring in work zones – 33 percent – when large trucks comprise roughly five percent of vehicular traffic. Don’t allow yourself to become distracted, slow down, obey the signs and the instructions of flaggers and be courteous and safe by giving every vehicle extra space. Highway workers equally depend on you for their safety.”
The FMCSA says that they’ll be paying special attention to safety awareness efforts in Florida, Georgia, and Texas, which have some of the highest rates of work zone crashes involving large trucks in the U.S. In these states, drivers will hear public service announcements and see safety messaging on billboards as they approach work zones.
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in 2019, 842 people died in highway work zone crashes compared to 757 the year before. The 11.2-percent increase is the largest percentage increase of highway work zone fatalities this century.
Learn more at www.ShareTheRoadSafely.gov.