Tips for Houston, Texas Drivers: Work Zone Safety and Highway Construction

Every year since 1992, motor vehicle accidents have been the leading cause of on-the-job deaths in the United States, according to the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).   Every year, many hard-working construction workers are killed within work zones.  They are run over by motorists, backed over by construction vehicles, and electrocuted by power lines.  Their deaths are preventable and we need to insist that greater safety regulations are put in place to protect the working men and women of our country.

ASSE members have developed the following helpful list of tips to follow when driving through a work zone.

Do:

• Pay attention to the orange diamond-shaped warning signs or electronic message boards posted in advance of a road construction project.
• Stay alert. Dedicate your full attention to driving.
• Minimize distractions. Avoid changing radio stations and using a cell phone while driving in a work zone.
• Drive carefully and slowly through the construction site; always obey the posted speed limits in the work zone area.
• Pay close attention; heed directions on work zone warning signs. Signs and work zone flaggers save lives.
• Watch for stopped or slowing traffic. Do not tailgate.
• Expect the unexpected. Anticipate potential dangers.
• Watch how far-off traffic is flowing.
• Keep an eye out for construction workers, equipment and vehicles, as well as the vehicles around you.
• Use extra caution when driving through a site at night.
• Watch for detours and lane diversions.
• Most states have instituted new laws regarding work zones; penalties for speeding in these areas are double that of the normal penalties for speeding in a non-work zone stretch of road.

Don’t:

• Speed up or slow down significantly while going through a work zone.
• Slow down to look at the construction work being done.
• Resume normal speed until after you emerge completely out of the work zone area.
• Tailgate – most of the accidents within a work zone are rear-end collisions.
• Change lanes within a work zone.

If you or someone you know and care about suffered an injury in a construction work zone, Texas Work Zone Accident Lawyers encourage you to speak wtih an experienced attorney about your legal rights.  Our team of lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers  has represented victims of commercial motor vehicle accidents for over 45 years, obtaining hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients and their families.  For more information or assistance with your claims, email us at info@smslegal.com or click here to contact your personal injury lawyer NOW.