Give them a brake: Be aware of work-zone road hazards

During the summer months plenty of families hit the road to travel to their favorite vacation spot. However, it comes as no surprise when traveling on the interstate when you hit some sort of construction. A recent article from the Charleston Gazette suggested that construction on Interstate 79 could take several more months to complete as road crews replace expansion joints and pave portions of the interstate.

Construction zone safety is important and extra caution should be used when traveling through a construction zone. During the past five years, work zone crashes accounted for 4,400 deaths and 200,000 injuries. While rear-end crashes are the most common type of work zone accident, the majority of crashes occurred on roadways with speeds greater than 50 miles per hour.

Remember these safety tips the next time you are driving through a work zone:

• Keep your headlights on
• Pay attention to the road
• Watch brake lights on vehicles in front of you
• Avoid using a mobile phone, eating, or changing the radio station
• Merge into the correct lane
• Merge before you reach the lane closure area
• Be aware that traffic patterns in work zones can change daily
• Change lanes only where markings indicate and only when traffic allows

The safe flow of traffic through work zones is a major concern in all areas. The next time you are traveling through a work zone on one of our highways, be sure to slow down and use extra caution to better ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.