Safety in the Work Zone

Work zone awareness is needed at all times

Work zone awareness is needed at all times

Work zone awareness is needed at all times

Work zone awareness is needed at all times

By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Communications
April 30, 2021

As transportation departments and other safety organizations across the country wrap up this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), we truly hope that the emphasis on this life-and-death issue stays with you at all times when you’re behind the wheel.

The national event, held April 26-30, provided ADOT with an opportunity to place a spotlight on dangers associated with traffic traveling through work zones – not just on our state highways but also local streets in communities across Arizona.

We want to thank media outlets who provided coverage of NWZAW, including live reports from an I-17 work zone where the freeway bridge over Central Avenue in Phoenix is being reconstructed. It was great to see TV traffic reporters here in the Valley taking part in “Wear Orange Day” on Wednesday as part of the week’s events.

Nearly a thousand fatalities occurred in 2019 in work zone-related crashes across the U.S., according to statistics provided by the Federal Highway Administration. The majority of those deaths involved drivers or passengers in vehicles.

Here in Arizona, law enforcement crash reports showed there were 15 work zone-related fatalities across the state in 2019. That number was 17 deaths in 2018. Last year ADOT lost one of its own, Frank Dorizio, who was struck and killed by a vehicle while he was setting up a sign along Interstate 10 in the Casa Grande area. 

These are the top reasons we ask you to take this issue to heart. You indeed could be a life saver by slowing down and staying alert when approaching any work zone.

If you were out on one of our Arizona freeways or highways during National Work Zone Awareness Week, you may have seen one of our safety messages, including “Give ‘Em A Brake, Stay Alert in Work Zones.” 

We’re looking out for the men and women who work dangerous jobs in order to make things better as we move about the Grand Canyon State. But we’re also looking out for you, and any passengers traveling with you. In turn, we depend on you to remember the importance of being careful well beyond this one week. 

From the Director: It's risky business in work zones for both crews and drivers

From the Director: It's risky business in work zones for both crews and drivers

From the Director: It's risky business in work zones for both crews and drivers

From the Director: It's risky business in work zones for both crews and drivers

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director
April 28, 2021

It’s got to be one of the worst phone calls to receive as a state department of transportation director. To find out you have an injured employee or, even worse, a fatality in a work zone – something that is totally preventable if people are driving safely through a work zone.

It’s a call I did receive on March 4, 2020. Frank Dorizio, a member of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Incident Response Unit, was killed while on duty, setting up a sign alerting drivers to pavement repairs along Interstate 10 south of the Phoenix area. He was the first ADOT worker since 1998 to be struck and killed while working along a highway.

Two contractor employees have been injured this year – one a fatality. The fatality occurred on State Route 347 near the city of Maricopa, while the injured construction worker was part of a paving project on Interstate 10 near Benson this past week.

With April 26-30 designated as “Work Zone Awareness Week,” it’s important to remind everyone of the need for work zone safety.

At ADOT, we put safety first when establishing work zones. We designate work zones with signage, barricades, cones and orange or yellow vests. We want to ensure workers and drivers have enough space to safely navigate through a work zone. 

Besides our transportation crews, we have first responders like law enforcement, firefighters and tow truck operators who also need a safe area to work.

We just need drivers to pay attention when entering work zones. National data shows motorists are the ones killed most frequently in work zones because of speed and not paying attention.

If you would like to learn more about National Work Zone Awareness Week, you can watch the YouTube video and visit this website.

Our True North, Safely Home, means we want you and your loved ones to arrive home safely. 

This holds true for our ADOT employees who deserve to get Safely Home, every day.

Being in a work zone is a risk our construction and maintenance crews take on each and every day. Please pay attention while driving through work zones!

VIDEO: ADOT crews give on-the-ground view of work zone safety

VIDEO: ADOT crews give on-the-ground view of work zone safety

VIDEO: ADOT crews give on-the-ground view of work zone safety

VIDEO: ADOT crews give on-the-ground view of work zone safety

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications
April 22, 2020

Everyone can use a reminder about what they can do to make highway work zones safer. Even with lighter traffic volume these days, there’s no such thing as a completely safe work zone. It only takes one inattentive driver to cause a life-changing crash.

While we’re happy to point you toward a list of tips and best practices for navigating work zones, sometimes the message resonates deeper when it comes from the people who are affected most.

In this case, it’s the men and women who build and maintain Arizona’s highways. Throughout National Work Zone Awareness Week, we’re letting them tell their stories about work zones through a series of short videos that we’re posting on social media. 

Here’s a sampling of those videos, with each one playing after the last:

Driving Safety Home: Safe work zones for all

Driving Safety Home: Safe work zones for all

Driving Safety Home: Safe work zones for all

Driving Safety Home: Safe work zones for all

Dallas Hammit / ADOT State Engineer
March 31, 2020

Work Zone Awareness Week 2020 is April 20-24, and I don’t know about you, but this year I think it holds even more meaning for us as an agency.

Don’t get me wrong – with more than 1,000 employees who work in maintenance and construction projects on highways throughout the state, work-zone safety is ALWAYS one of the most important issues we deal with at ADOT. However, the recent tragic loss of our ADOT colleague, Frank Dorizio, underscores for all of us just how crucial it is for drivers to be aware in the work zone.

We want everyone to get home safely at the end of the work day. Sadly, that doesn’t always happen.

With that in mind, I encourage you to talk with your family and friends about work zone safety. Explain to them that there’s just no excuse for driving recklessly.

While you’re at it, take time to examine your own driving behaviors and make the commitment to staying safe in the work zone – slow down, always obey signs and flaggers, and prepare for lane restrictions.

For more information, please check out the work zone safety section on our ADOT website and remember these tips when driving in work zones:

  • Expect the unexpected. Normal speed limits may be reduced, traffic lanes may be restricted and people may be working on or near the road.
  • Slow down! Speeding is one of the major causes of work zone crashes.
  • Keep a safe distance. The most common type of accident in a work zone is a rear-end collision. Maintain two car lengths between you and the car in front of you as well as road crews and their equipment.
  • Pay attention. The warning signs are there to help you move safely through the work zone. Observe the posted signs.
  • Obey road crew flaggers. The flagger knows what is best for moving traffic safely in the work zone. A flagger has the same authority as a regulatory sign. You can be cited for disobeying a flagger's directions.
  • Stay alert and minimize distractions. Dedicate your full attention to the roadway and avoid changing radio stations or using cellphones while driving in a work zone.
  • Keep up with traffic flow. Motorists can help maintain traffic flow and posted speeds by merging as directed by signage.
  • Be patient and stay calm. Remember, crews are working to improve the road and your commute.

Close calls remind us all to pay more attention when driving

Close calls remind us all to pay more attention when driving

Close calls remind us all to pay more attention when driving

Close calls remind us all to pay more attention when driving

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications
August 2, 2019

It’s been a rough week for those who work on our roads. It could’ve been much worse.

In two separate incidents Tuesday, passenger cars struck and injured two ADOT workers and an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper working on roadways. A tow truck operator was nearly hit in one of the crashes too. We’re grateful no one was killed or seriously injured in these crashes. But the outcomes could have been much worse. 

On Tuesday, two ADOT workers were hit by a pickup truck in a work zone on US 191 in Chinle. The driver told law enforcement that he was distracted. Fortunately, both of the ADOT workers were released that afternoon from the hospital.

On Monday afternoon, on State Route 87 near Payson, a car crashed into a DPS cruiser parked on the shoulder of the highway and nearly hit a tow truck and a passenger car. All three vehicles were on the shoulder of the highway where the trooper and tow truck operator were responding to the stalled passenger car. The tow truck operator dove under his truck to avoid being hit, but the trooper sustained minor injuries.

While the driver of the vehicle on SR 87 told troopers that a medical issue caused him to black out, these incidents are examples of the dangers highway workers and first responders face every day when working to improve roadways or assisting Arizonans.

It’s also a reminder that we all need to pay attention to the road in front of us when we’re driving, especially when entering and traveling through work zones. And don’t forget to “Move Over” and give emergency response vehicles room to work on shoulders.

From the Director: Work zone safety is our responsibility

From the Director: Work zone safety is our responsibility

From the Director: Work zone safety is our responsibility

From the Director: Work zone safety is our responsibility

April 10, 2018

Arizona State Capitol

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

Work zone safety means something extra to us at the Arizona Department of Transportation.

I take a lot of pride in our dedication and professionalism when it comes to safety. Cutting corners and doing less than our best when it comes to safety is not an option. Many ADOT employees spend their days working in roadways alongside fast-moving vehicles. And, frankly, some cars are traveling too fast. While some motorists might see work zones as inconveniences that add minutes to a commute, they are necessary environments that make it safer for us to build, maintain and improve roadway travel in Arizona, while keeping the traveling public safe, too.

This week, April 9-13, is Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, a nationwide effort to focus on work zone safety and our responsibility to drive safe. Here in Arizona, we have lit the Arizona State Capitol dome orange and Governor Doug Ducey has proclaimed this week as Work Zone Awareness Week. If you have the chance, stop by to see the Capitol dome illuminated in orange between dusk and dawn.

I am sure you have seen first-hand the damage done by speed, distraction and impairment. Poor judgment and choices by drivers cause these crashes that are preventable and should never have happened. All of us must set the example and drive safely in order to reduce the number of vehicle collisions that occur each year in Arizona.

To our ADOT men and women who work on and around our state’s roadways, thank you for your dedicated and professional work. To the rest of us, please join me in changing our culture to one of “Safety First” by reminding friends and family to use good judgment and make smart decisions behind the wheel.


Director-Halikowski-headshot

 

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

 

With projects underway in high country, be sure to ‘Move Over’ in work zones

With projects underway in high country, be sure to ‘Move Over’ in work zones

With projects underway in high country, be sure to ‘Move Over’ in work zones

With projects underway in high country, be sure to ‘Move Over’ in work zones

June 19, 2017

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

Motorists might have noticed an uptick in road work across northern Arizona in the past few weeks as summer temperatures provide a window for paving and improving state highways in the high country.

That's why ADOT is launching a summer safety campaign in northern Arizona that encourages motorists to drive safely in work zones and reminds them of the “Move Over” law. The campaign will feature safety messages on overhead signs in the area and on ADOT’s social media channels.

Motorists that follow the “Move Over” law help keep ADOT work crews, as well as first responders, safe on Arizona’s roadways. “Move Over” requires motorists to move over one lane – or slow down if it is not safe to change lanes – when approaching vehicles with flashing lights pulled to the side of the road.

When driving in work zones – there are multiple planned paving projects on Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff this summer that will have lane restrictions – follow these tips to protect yourself and the men and women who build and maintain the state highway system:

  • Pay attention: Observe and obey posted warning signs, as well as flaggers. You can be cited for disobeying a flagger’s directions.
  • Expect the unexpected: Speed limits might be lowered, travel lanes could be narrowed or eliminated and people may be working near your travel lane.
  • Slow down: Speeding is one of the leading causes of work zone crashes.
  • Merge safely: Do it early and carefully or as directed by signage instead of barging into a line of vehicles at the last moment.
  • Don’t tailgate: The most common crash in a work zone is the rear-end collision. Don’t follow too closely and, again, slow your speed.

For more information about work zone safety, visit azdot.gov/workzone. Information about “Move Over” is available at moveoveraz.org.

For the most current information about highway closures and restrictions statewide, visit ADOT’s Traveler Information Site at az511.gov, follow us on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511.

From the Director: Help us protect ADOT workers, you and your passengers

From the Director: Help us protect ADOT workers, you and your passengers

From the Director: Help us protect ADOT workers, you and your passengers

From the Director: Help us protect ADOT workers, you and your passengers

April 7, 2017

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

I want our employees whose office is the road to be able to go home to their families every day. During National Work Zone Awareness Week, it makes perfect sense to remind motorists to be alert when driving in work zones.

Safety is the No. 1 priority at ADOT. When it comes to work zones, vehicles speed by just inches away. We rely on motorists to pay attention and slow down when entering work zones, not only for the safety of our crews but for drivers and passengers.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, drivers and passengers accounted for 82 percent of work zone fatalities nationally in 2014, the most recent year with complete data. According to preliminary data for 2016, Arizona had seven fatal crashes in work zones, resulting in seven deaths, and 27 serious-injury crashes.

That’s why is doesn’t hurt to remind everyone, give our work crews a “brake” – drive safe in work zones.


 

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

 

ADOT employees explain why work zone safety matters

ADOT employees explain why work zone safety matters

ADOT employees explain why work zone safety matters

ADOT employees explain why work zone safety matters

April 5, 2017

construction sign

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

Yesterday we emphasized your role as a driver in helping keep work zones safe for you and your passengers. Today we're introducing you to the highways workers responsible for building and maintaining Arizona’s highways. These and other videos are appearing on ADOT's Facebook page throughout this week, and we hope stories from these and other ADOT employees drive home the importance of work zone safety.

ADOT strives to make transportation personal and asked highway workers across Arizona to share their personal story of work zone safety. They see close calls all the time and many have even witnessed crashes in the work zone. Everyone interviewed asked drivers to slow down and obey signs posted in the construction zone.

From Casey:

From Frank:

From Larry:

From Jaime:

Give 'em a brake in the work zone

Give 'em a brake in the work zone

Give 'em a brake in the work zone

Give 'em a brake in the work zone

April 4, 2017

Work Zone

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

You hold the keys to safety in construction zones. How you drive may prevent a death – maybe even your own. Safely navigating a work zone helps protect everyone, including ADOT workers.

In 2014, drivers and passengers accounted for 82 percent of work zone fatalities across the country, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Early data shows there were seven fatal collisions and 27 serious-injury crashes last year in Arizona work zones.

With National Work Zone Awareness Week at hand, you’ll see ADOT’s overhead message boards light up with a reminder to slow down in work zones. On the ADOT Facebook page we’ll be sharing videos of ADOT employees across the state explaining why work zone safety matters to them.

2017-0404-safety

"Give'em a brake - work zone awareness week."

The following tips may save your life or the life of your passenger:

  • Pay attention: Observe and obey posted warning signs, as well as flaggers. You can be cited for disobeying a flagger’s directions.
  • Expect the unexpected: Speed limits might be lowered, travel lanes could be narrowed or eliminated and people may be working near your travel lane.
  • Slow down: Speeding is one of the leading causes of work zone crashes.
  • Merge safely: Do it early and carefully or as directed by signage instead of barging into a line of vehicles at the last moment.
  • Don’t tailgate: The most common crash in a work zone is the rear-end collision. Don’t follow too closely and, again, slow down.