• The #DriveSaferWa campaign will use billboards statewide to help build awareness

• thanks to Lamar advertising. You will see the map attached with where the current billboards are displayed. Please encourage your members, workers, employees or even yourself, to take photos of the billboard and tag @NWLECET on all platforms and use the hashtag #whyIdrivesafer or #drivesaferwa. 
  

• Visit www.drivesaferwa.com to sign the #DriveSaferWa pledge and utilize the social media tool-kit. This will be a long-term campaign that the committee intends to build on over time and work with partners in the industry and legislators to increase awareness and enact change in work zone safety. 
  

• Work zone injuries and fatalities are at their highest they have been in years. Workers deserve to come home from work after their shift and not be afraid to take a highway or road job because of the high number of work zone incidents that are occurring.
   

• This committee is also working on changes legislatively and on the job site with industry leaders to ensure workers are able to go home safely at the end of the day. 
  

• Too many work zone injuries and fatalities have occurred in Washington, enough is enough! 
  

• Employees in work zones are husbands, fathers, brothers, wives, mothers, sisters, children and friends – and they all deserve to go home safe at the end of their shift. 
  

• Far too many workers have had close calls, serious injuries and even deaths in work zones.
  

• Workers deserve to come home from work after their shift and not be afraid to take a highway or road job because of the high number of work zone incidents that are occurring. 
  

• The USI (Unions, State Representatives, Industry Leaders) Committee was created to work with unions, legislators and industry leaders to take a stand against work zone injuries and fatalities. 
  

• The purpose of this committee was created to bring together unions, contractors, and industry stakeholders together to make a difference and improve work zone safety standards throughout Washington due to the increased injuries and fatalities in work zones. 
  

• The USI Committee has put a foundation in place to make real change through on the job changes, legislation and a public awareness campaign. 
  

• We work hard to keep our workers safe with equipment and training, but we also need the traveling public’s help in keeping everyone on the road safe. It is truly a matter of life and death.
  

We ask all drivers in work zones to: 

• Plan Ahead. Before traveling, look up the latest traffic conditions on the route you plan to take. Information on active work zones is available from many agency and private-sector websites, apps, and on social media to help you plan your trip, and possibly avoid work zones altogether.

• Minimize Distractions. Be aware of your surroundings, avoid changing radio stations, and put your phone away when driving through a work zone. Work zones can change daily, so anticipate new traffic patterns and look out for other drivers and road users.

• Pay Attention. Both to workers directing you and surrounding traffic. In 2020, 170 persons on foot and bicyclists lost their lives in work zone crashes.

• Look Out for Workers. In 2020, 117 workers died in highway work zones.3

• Check Your Speed. Obey posted work zone speed limits, look out for stopped or slow traffic, and maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of you to reduce the risk of crashes with other vehicles and with highway workers.

• Be Careful Around Large Vehicles. Large vehicles can be harder to maneuver and slower to respond, so avoid making sudden lane changes in front of trucks or buses and look out for construction vehicles.

• Be Prepared for Sudden Stops. Work zones sometimes cause congestion, delays, and traffic queues. Be alert and watch for sudden stops. In 2020, 20 percent of all fatal work zone crashes involved rear-end collisions.4

• Slow down. Speed was a contributing factor in over 37 percent of 2020 fatal work zone crashes, increasing from 32 percent the year prior.

• Read the Signs. Signs provide guidance to road users of traffic laws or regulations within the work zones. Remember that signs, cones, barrels, and flaggers are there to help maneuver you safely through the work zone.

• Work Zone Crashes Occur on All Types of Roadways. Collector road crashes increased from 6 percent in 2019 to 8 percent in 2020.

• Do Your Part. Everyone is responsible for doing all we can to work together and ensure we all stay safe.

By the Numbers

Nationally:

There’s a collision in a work zone every 5.4 minutes.

857 people were killed and over 44,000 people injured on roadway work zones in 2020.

• Of the 857 fatalities:

  • 479 were in construction zones

  • 314 were in work zones of unknown type

  • 56 were in maintenance zones

  • 8 were in a utility zone

Washington State:

• Washington reached a 20-year high in 2021 of road deaths with a total of 663 fatalities. Unfortunately, trends in 2022 show fatalities continuing to increase with more traffic deaths in the first quarter compared with the same timeframe last year, according to the traffic safety commission.

• Washington averages almost 626 highway work zone injuries each year

• Almost 94 percent of those people injured or killed in work zone collisions are drivers and their passengers.

We Need the Public’s Help to Keep Us All Safe

Work zone accidents aren’t just dangerous for workers – they’re also dangerous for travelers. Traffic fines are doubled in work zones, so speeding drivers also face hefty fines.

Most work zone crashes are easily preventable. The top three reasons for work zone collisions in 2021 were:

• following too closely

• speeding

• distracted driving/inattentive driving

Following too closely being the top contributing factor in work zone crashed in 2021.