Work Zone Safety: It’s Everybody’s Business

Work zones on U.S. highways have become increasingly dangerous places for both workers and travelers, with the death rate approaching two per day. Motorists who drive through work zones every day often do not pay enough attention to the advisory signs and thus fail to heed the posted warnings. As the result of a recent Federal/State initiative under the National Highway Work Zone Safety Program, a new public outreach campaign, called “Get the Picture–Listen to the Signs,” has been designed to address this safety issue. The campaign was developed under a pooled-fund project, in which the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and 21 State departments of transportation (DOTs) participated (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin). The main goal of the campaign is to educate the public about what the orange warning signs mean and the possible consequences of failing to heed those warnings. The campaign theme is: “Don’t risk your life because you don’t get the picture–be alert, slow down, and pay attention to the signs.”