Work Zone Awareness

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National Work Zone Awareness Week

In 1997 a VDOT employee had an idea: during one week in April the agency should focus on educating the public about highway work zones. Over the next several years the observance spread across Virginia and, with the cooperation of the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance, expanded to include presentations to high school driver’s education classes. In 2000 the observance of Work Zone Awareness Week became a national event.

VDOT and the transportation construction industry will participate in National Work Zone Awareness Week April 23-27, 2012. This year VDOT is partnering with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and DriveSmart Virginia to highlight Distracted Driving Awareness Month, also observed during April.

Work Zone Awareness Week still provides an opportunity to educate the public about the critical part that motorists play in keeping everyone safe in highway work zones. Since undivided attention to driving is the most important factor in avoiding a crash, the coordination of Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Work Zone Awareness Week reinforces both messages.

In Virginia in 2011 there were 3,457 crashes in highway work zones across the state. The crashes resulted in 11 deaths and 1,816 injuries. While the death toll decreased eight percent from 2010, injuries in work zone crashes increased 49 percent and the number of crashes were up 46 percent. The majority of crashes occur on primary highways and involve drivers in their early 20s.

Nationally, more than 700 people are killed and more than 37,000 are injured each year in crashes in highway work zones. Those deaths account for approximately two percent of highway fatalities. On average, four out of five people killed in work zone crashes are motorists or their passengers.

To help motorists do their part, here are some tips for safe driving before, during and after you encounter a highway work zone: