The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and its transportation partners held a news conference in observance of National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) to remember victims killed and injured in work zones and to raise safety awareness for workers and motorists.

loading...

 

Local participants in the news event included the City of Lufkin, Lufkin Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Association of General Contractors (AGC), and N-Line Traffic Maintenance.

 

Background

 

  • In 2010 (the latest available statistics), 176 work zone crashes claimed two (2) lives in the Lufkin District’s nine-county area.
  • In 2010, 100 people were killed in highway construction and maintenance zones in Texas.
  • Of the 100 work zone fatalities in 2010, 54 were drug and drug and alcohol-related.
  • Nine out of every 10 work zone fatalities are motorists traveling through the work zone.
  • In 2010, 61 percent of work zone fatalities were male.
  • One in three work zone crashes is a rear-end collision.

 

Distracted Driving

  • April is also distracted driving awareness month. In 2010, 3,073 distracted driver crashes in work zones, involving 7,468 vehicles. These distracted driver crashes resulted in 14 fatalities.

 

For more information about work zone safety or go to www.txdot.gov, search work zone. www.facebook.com/txdot, www.twitter.com/txdot.

 

 

More From Kicks 105