National Work Zone Awareness Week calls attention to safety

Reading a book, drinking coffee, texting while driving.

Virginia Department of Transportation employees have seen that, and then some, from drivers while out on highway work zones.

Forester Wright, a 31-year VDOT employee and the current work zone safety coordinator, said he got a good scare early in his career at a work zone in Strasburg.

“A car came by all of our signs, did not recognize the dangers,” Wright said. “I had my hand extended to stop him – he hit the flag in my hand. I went running to the ditch for cover.”

VDOT, during National Work Zone Awareness Week, and everyday, is calling for people to drive carefully, especially through work zones. Three of the agency’s employees were at the VDOT Workers’ Memorial off of eastbound Interstate 64 near Afton Mountain on Wednesday.

Eddie Thompson, a 20-year VDOT employee who works in the Fishersville area, said many people are not aware of the signs that indicate a work zone.

“When you’re flagging, you’re showing your stop sign; sometimes they don’t see you,” Thompson said. “I’ve had people stop and tell me there was no signage up. And the foreman would go back, and all our signs would be up.”

In 2008, seven people died in state-maintained work zones, down from 11 in 2007, when there were 2,000 crashes in state-maintained work zones. Nationally, more than 40,000 people are injured each year as a result of work zone crashes. Eighty-five percent of accidents in work zones, according to VDOT, are due to driver inattention, with people four times more likely to be injured or killed than workers are.

Calvin Michael, a 15-year VDOT employee who works as a road maintenance crew operator, said people are too preoccupied with things other than driving.

“It just takes away from their focus,” Michael said. “When they come through a work zone and they’re not seeing signs, or they’re not seeing the work going on, they just need to be aware of their surroundings especially on the roads.”

Wright said people should recognize the dangers on the road when entering a work zone and asks for people to take the foot off the accelerator and give workers room where possible. He also said people should stop multitasking behind the wheel.

“We need to stop doing these things and concentrate on the task at hand, and that’s driving and getting themselves through our work zones safe,” Wright said. “ ‘Cause if they get through there safe, we’re safe too.”

Thompson said he had a close call as recently as last week.

“I had a woman come through and I don’t think she even saw me,” Thompson said. “I was standing inside the white line, and she came up right to me, and I had the stop sign up and slid right on by me.

“Then she backed up and said, ‘did you want something?’ ”

“I said, I wanted you to stop, ‘cause we have a ditching operation ahead.’ ”