Do You Drive Safe in Work Zones? What Connecticut Drivers Should Know

Even as we approach colder temperatures and the busy holiday season, road construction still goes on.

Recently, I have seen lane closures on Interstate 95 in Connecticut whether it's for tree removal, the pending installation of highway electronic signs, or work on the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge which goes over the Quinnipiac River and is known locally as the Q-bridge.

That project has involved overnight lane closures since closing this portion of I-95 during the daytime would lead to complete gridlock.

Since my job involves a good deal of driving, I have seen a variety of negative and unsafe ways drivers react to road construction.

While on Connecticut interstates, large highway electronic signs and/or messages on Highway Advisory Radio alert motorists to construction ahead of time, it seems that some ignore those messages.

I still see drivers cut out in front of vehicles when their lane ends or abruptly hit the brakes before hitting a stopped line of traffic in front of them.

Several times, I saw a tractor trailers move into a soon-to-close lane at the last possible second and almost hit several large orange cones or DOT vehicles.

Perhaps those who decide to pass everyone driving in the shoulder are the most reckless.

Those motorists usually don't save anything at all since the shoulder is closed ahead and construction vehicles or police are sitting right there.

While some might do this to get off at the next exit, which is just up the road, it is still unsafe unless the exit is very close and you have clear visibility of the ramp.
Even then, you are still taking a big risk that someone doesn't pull out in front of you doing the same thing.

It's possible that some drivers don't believe the signs, sometimes after a work zone reopens; signs are not immediately taken down or covered up.

However, that is more the exception than the rule.

It is pretty bad when heavy police presence is necessary to force drivers to slow down and be safe.

Safety is important for you, the vehicles around you, and those at the construction site such as construction workers, police officers, and other authorized personnel.

According to information from the Connecticut Work Zone Safety Awareness campaign for 2007, in the United States, one work zone fatality (of a motorist or construction worker) occurs every 8.2 hours which equates to three a day.

Most of the time, the fatality was the motorist and not the highway worker.

One work zone injury occurs every 9 minutes, equating to 160 a day.

In Connecticut, most work zone crashes are rear end collisions caused by speeding.

The Connecticut DOT did an ad campaign saying that rear end collisions are a result of drivers "zoning out" and urges them to "pay attention or pay double" and to "expect the unexpected."

About 25 percent of the 1,374 fatal highway incidents recorded in 2004 were work zone related and workers must remember to use high visibility safety gear at all times.

Even if you are doing work in an area near your home on a busy road, it's important to wear a safety yellow or orange reflective vest, these are also great to wear if you walk at dusk, at night, in the fog, or in areas where vehicles may not expect you to be walking.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation gives ten important tips that everyone should follow to drive safe in work zones.

Drivers should realize that normal speed limits are usually reduced in work zones and that traffic lanes could be closed or moved and workers could be working on or near the roadway.

A major cause of work zone crashes is speeding and drivers should be reminded that fines are double in work zones.

The normal speed limit in a highway construction zone is 45 miles per hour.

Keep in mind that the normal speed limit on Connecticut highways is 65 miles per hour with many vehicles travelling between 55 miles per hour and 75 miles per hour depending on traffic volume.

The DOT recommends that you not tailgate and keep a safe distance between you and the car ahead of you.

They recommend leaving two car lengths between you and the car in front of you and while this isn't always possible or a good idea in heavily congested areas, still remember to provide as much room as possible between you and the other vehicle.

Warning signs that have been erected are there to help you and other drivers move safely through work zones and should be obeyed until a sign states that you have left the work zone.

Many construction areas have road crew flaggers and they have the same authority as a regulatory sign, so follow their lead since they know how to best move traffic through work zones.

Failure to obey road crew flaggers can carry similar penalties as failure to obey street signs.

Drivers should minimize ALL distractions in work zones by not using their cell phones, changing radio stations, or doing other things that could detract their attention from the roadway.

Passengers should act responsibly, buckle up, turn down the radio, and not distract the driver in work zones.

Drivers should keep up with the traffic flow and merge as soon as possible and not drive right up to the lane closure and cut in.

Those driving in lanes not immediately ending should stay in the lane they are in and not erratically go back and forth between other lanes.

Sometimes when one lane starts to move and gains over the other, it then stops moving and so moving to the other lane has little to no gain in the long run.
Anytime you change lanes, you take a chance of getting hit by someone not anticipating it.

Remember to always use your turn signal, especially in congested areas and work zones.

Those driving in heavily congested areas and those who have a long commute should check radio, television, and websites for traffic information.

Such information could be valuable in allowing yourself enough time to drive safely to your destination and could provide detours in the event an incident closes a portion of the roadway.

Drivers can visit the DOT website for traffic information in Connecticut including live feed from traffic cameras position strategically along the major interstates and areas that tend to be congested.

Above all, drivers should be patient and stay calm and realize work zone crew members are doing their best to improve the road you drive on.

The DOT reports "the State of Connecticut is committed to not only reducing fatalities but also to reducing the number of crashed in work zones. Though you may not lose your life in a crash, you may be seriously injured and life as you know it will be changed forever."

While nobody likes slowing down to a crawl or to a stop because of road construction, such construction is necessary for continued maintenance and improvement to the roadways and surrounding vicinity.

Let's work hard and remind ourselves to slow down and drive safely.