1,000 Die Each Year in Highway Construction Accidents
Accidents in highway construction zones kill more than 1,000 people each year, and most of them are drivers, according to the Federal Highway Administrator, Mary Peters.
"We're asking drivers to remember that for thousands of men and women, their workplace is the highway," said Peters. In 2002, 1,181 people dies and 52,000 were injured in work zone crashes a 53% increase from 1998. Four out of five of those who die in work zone crashes are drivers and passengers, not highway workers. Peters said the number of deaths is rising due to the increase in highway construction.
According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Texas had the most work zone deaths by far in 2002, with 192. California had the second-highest number with 119 followed by Alaska, Connecticut, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Utah.
The government is trying to reduce the numbers by encouraging the use of long-lasting pavement that requires fewer repairs and encouraging total road closures when appropriate. Drivers are urged not to tailgate in work zones...rear end collisions are the most common type of accident in a work zone.
