IDAHO — The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) along with agencies across the U.S. is highlighting the importance of driving safe around construction zones with a national work zone awareness week.
Since 2018, over 3,000 plus incidents and crashes have occurred involving work zones. This has led to 36 fatalities prompting the need to focus on driver safety. Especially, just before the start of vacation season.
“If you look at it, we are coming into the travel cycle. People start going away, they start taking vacations,” said Brian Ross Rick, public information officer for ITD.
ITD plans to hold a moment of silence this Friday to remember those lost to work zone crashes.
Workers like Eric Copeland, who works as a field operations manager for ITD, says the use of cell phones has vastly increased distracted driving and created more danger for his teams.
“When you drive through the canyon between horseshoe bend and cascade, you don’t have a lot of cell phone service. We have marked number of increased wrecks where the cell phone service comes in cause people are looking at their phones,” said Copeland.
Ultimately it is up to Idaho drivers to make roads safer. ITD suggests planning your route, staying focused by mitigating distractions, and slowing down can make a massive difference in traveling.
“Look at you own safety as well as the safety of the workers as well as the safety of the surrounding vehicles,” said Rick.
“My people live this every day and just bringing it to the forefront of the motoring public is a good thing,” said Copeland.
For more information on work zone awareness week, click here.
