Arlington, VA — Highway construction contractors continue to sense a greater risk of work zone crashes, according to the results of the annual Work Zone Awareness Survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America and software company HCSS.
Nearly 600 firms from across the United States responded to the survey. Fifty-one percent of contractors agree that the risk of a crash is greater than it was a year ago, while 45% say it’s about the same. That compares with 47% and 51%, respectively, in last year’s survey.
Results also show that 60% of the respondents experienced a work zone crash in the past year, with 33% reporting five incidents or more.
“Summer construction season means more crews working just feet away from fast-moving traffic,” AGC CEO Jeffrey Shoaf said in a press release. “Too many drivers continue to speed, use their phones or simply fail to pay attention in work zones, putting construction workers and motorists alike at serious risk.”
Seven percent of the respondents observed a worker death associated with a crash, while 22% reported a driver or passenger death.
In a recent AGC video, workers from the Kansas City, MO-based road construction firm IBC Traffic urge drivers to proceed with caution and be mindful of their surroundings.
“When a sign says, ‘Slow down and be aware,’ that’s not a recommendation,” chief strategy officer Heather Agee says in the video. “The ramifications of those actions are forever. … Taking five minutes to slow down and get to work is always going to be the right answer.”
