Another Work Zone Tragedy

Construction worker Deborah Wead, 51, of Rockford was killed while flagging traffic on the Higgins Road entrance ramp to southbound Route 53. A speeding car struck Wead while she held a “slow” or “stop” sign on the left shoulder. While police say Tuesday’s work zone death was connected to drunken driving, the fatality raises anew calls for drivers to change their driving habits in work zones. The number of work zone deaths suddenly increased in 2000, when a major state construction program increased the number of work zones. In response, state officials tried a broad campaign of initiatives to reduce the danger. The efforts are aimed in part to address the fact that most people killed in work zones are not road workers but drivers and their passengers.