• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Logo

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • About
  • Join Listserv
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Work Zone Data
    • At a Glance
    • National & State Traffic Data
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
  • Topics of Interest
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
    • Smart Work Zones
    • Transportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Worker Safety and Welfare
    • Project Coordination in Work Zones
  • Training
    • Flagger
    • Online Courses
    • Toolboxes
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
    • COVID-19 Guidance
  • Public Awareness
  • Events
  • About
  • Listserv
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

Flashing Paddles Create Safer Highway Work Zones

Abstract:

Drivers often fail to notice instructions being given by flaggers at highway work sites, creating a tremendous hazard for maintenance workers and travelers. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT) needed some way to help flaggers warn motorists to stop or slow down. The highway agency decided to evaluate the flashing stop/slow paddle and Pennsylvania DOT flaggers found several advantages in using the flashing stop/slow paddle. The highway agency decided to evaluate the flashing stop/slow paddle, a product developed under the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). These paddles include a high-powered flashing light that flaggers can turn on to get drivers’ attention. Once alerted, a driver should be more aware of the flagger’s instructions and of the presence of a highway work crew, reducing the likelihood of an accident.

Publisher: Federal Highway Administration
Publication Date: 1996
Notes: The clearinghouse has a copy of this item.
Publication Types: News and Other Non-research Articles
Topics: Evaluation and Assessment; Stop/Slow Paddles; Traffic Control Devices

Copyright © 2023 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute