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Work Zone Safety

Highway Work Zone Safety Awareness Week 2008

Work zone logoIndiana Highway Work Zone Safety Awareness Week is April 7-11, 2008.  Events and activities will be held around the state to recognize the week:

Show your support for work zone safety!  The Indiana Department of Transportation will hold an event in the Indiana Statehouse Rotunda on April 8, 2008 at 10:30 a.m.  Everyone is invited to attend, show their support for work zone safety and remember those who have been injured and killed in our state's highway work zones.  Attendees will include include state and local officials, INDOT representatives, highway safety advocates and the families of fallen highway workers. 

Highway Work Zone Safety

INDOT worker placing coneNo doubt you’ve seen the orange barrels in Indiana’s highway work zones.  There’s a lot more progress going on these days thanks to Indiana’s fully-funded 10-year highway construction plan, Major Moves.  You’ve probably seen our highway workers, too.  They’re out on the road every day mowing medians, repairing pot holes and building new roads and bridges – making Hoosier roadways safer for you and your family. 

We know highway work zones can be frustrating.  We realize your life is busy and your time is precious.  But please understand when you drive dangerously through a highway work zone you’re not just putting the lives of highway workers at risk – you’re risking your own life, and the lives of your loved ones.  That’s because four out of five people who die in highway work zones are either drivers or their passengers.

Scary Statistics

When it comes to work zones, even the smallest mistake can be deadly.  Just take a look at these numbers:

  • Nationally, more than 1,000 people die in work zones each year.  That’s nearly three a day!
  • Highway workers are killed in Indiana work zones every year.  In 2006, three Hoosier highway workers were killed when they were hit by cars in a work zone.
  • Four out of five people killed in work zones are motorists – not highway workers.
  • One in three work zone crashes is a rear-end collision.
  • It takes just one minute more to travel through a two-mile work zone at 45 mph than 65 mph.
  • Areas where traffic is entering or leaving work zones are the most dangerous because drivers are fighting for position.

Driving Tips

Road work at nightThese simple tips could save your life in a work zone:

  • Stay alert! Look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers.
  • Pay attention.  Work zone signs will tell you exactly what to expect ahead.
  • Merge early.  If drivers merge as soon as they see the signs, traffic will flow more smoothly.
  • Slow down.  If you’re speeding, you may encounter slowed or stopped traffic within seconds.
  • Space out.  Maintain a safe distance on all sides of your vehicle.
  • Minimize distractions.  The three C’s – cell phones, CDs and coffee – are the primary causes of driver inattention.
  • Plan ahead.    Expect delays and allow extra travel time.  Select an alternate route if you are running late.

Our Safety Commitment to You:

  • Working during nighttime and off-peak hours.
  • Paying bonuses to contractors who finish road projects ahead of schedule.
  • Installing concrete barrier walls on interstate construction projects.
  • Communicating construction information to travelers and the media.
  • Using electronic message and arrow boards.
  • Wearing high visibility safety apparel and protective equipment.
  • Cleaning up work zone crashes quickly and safely.
  • Using extra police patrols in highway work zones.

Indiana's Work Zone Safety Law

Indiana Work Zone SignIndiana's tough new work zone law was passed by Indiana's General Assembly during the 2007 legislative session, signed into law by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels on May 27, 2007 and went into effect on July 1, 2007.  Under the new work zone law, first time citations for speeding in a work zone will result in a $300 fine.  If drivers still don’t get the message to slow down, they’ll be fined $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for a third offense within three years.  Motorists who drive recklessly or aggressively through a work zone face fines up to $5,000.  Drivers who injure or kill a highway worker may find themselves paying a $10,000 fine or serving up to eight years behind bars.  Fines generated from the new work zone law will be used to fund additional work zone patrols.

To alert drivers to the new law, signs will be posted around the state warning motorists of the tougher penalties.  The signs will read “Speeding Max $1,000, Reckless Driving Max 8 Years.”  The signs will be posted in advance of all state highway work zones, state maintenance work zones and municipal work zones. 

INDOT's Work Zone Safety Policies and Procedures

In October 2007, INDOT created a new work zone policy titled Indiana Department of Transportation Processes and Procedures on Work Zone Safety and Mobility.  In the policy, INDOT outlines its commitment to ensuring work zones in the Hoosier State are as safe as possible and to eliminating or reducing traffic delays and backups caused by highway work zones. 

Download Processes and Procedures on Work Zone Safety and Mobility (PDF)

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