MoDot promotes Work Zone Awareness Week

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - The Missouri Department of Transportation reports 27 people were killed in crashes in work zones in 2020. The department is asking drivers to slow down and pay attention in work zones as the department promotes Work Zone Awareness Week.

A traffic specialist with MoDOT says not paying attention while driving was the number one cause of work zone crashes last year. She says your car can travel the length of a football field in five seconds if you are traveling 55-miles-per-hour.

Following to close, improper lane usage, excessive speed and failing to yield are the other reasons for crashes in work zones. In 2012, the state’s Slow Down and Move Over law was created. It includes MoDot vehicles that are parked with amber or white lights flashing. Drivers are required to slow down and change lanes.

Kristy Little says being a construction worker is a dangerous job.

“When I go out in the field I always think to be cautious, pay attention and make sure I have an escape route,” said Little. “I think about I need to come home to my parents, my sisters, my nephews. I have two cats at home that need me to come back and feed them. My life is important too. Part of my responsibility is to also pay attention.”

Little says summer is a busy time for road construction so it is important to keep an eye out while driving.

“Whether you’ve been working on the side of the road for one week or twenty plus years, we’ve all experienced looking up at traffic and for some reason it is going too fast,” said Little. “It is getting close to the edge line. It is driving reckless. It is scary when you see something coming at you and you’re not sure. Are you going to hit me? Am I going to be able to make it home safely? Are my co-workers okay? Are they going to make it home safely?”

To learn more about Work Zone Awareness Week or to find traveler information click here.

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