2025 National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 21-25 – Respect the Zone, So We All Get Home

As our highway infrastructure ages, the federal government and many highway agencies are focusing on rebuilding existing roadways, bridges, and tunnels. Highway improvement projects being performed on roadways that are open to traffic will be increasing. At the same time, traffic continues to grow and creates more congestion. This combination of more work zones and heavier traffic results in increased risk for the motorist and work zone workers. With this in mind, drivers must pay extra attention in work zones and take every precaution to keep themselves, other travelers and work zone workers safe so that everyone can arrive home safely at the end of the day.

Many factors contribute to work zone accidents, including speeding, cell phone use and inattentive, distracted, or aggressive driving. All of these behaviors are discouraged when driving on any road, but they can be especially dangerous in work zones. Many of the fatal crashes in work zones involve rear-end collisions. Rear-end collision involvement in fatal work zone crashes is consistently higher on rural roadways than urban roadways. Properly planned and executed work zones are critical to provide sufficient warnings to drivers on these limited sightline roadways.

With the construction season about to begin, The National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week serves as an opportune time to remind motorists to be extra vigilant when driving through a work zone. National Work Zone Awareness Week is designated by the Federal Highway Administration to raise driver awareness and reduce the number of vehicle intrusions into work zones, incidents that can cause injuries and fatalities.

This year’s safety campaign theme, "Respect the Zone, So We All Get Home.” The key message is for motorists to use extra caution in work zones. Highway work zones often have reduced speed limits, closed or shifted traffic lanes and people working on or near the road, making it that much more important for motorists to be aware of their surroundings.

During 2024, there were 322 “Work Zone Intrusions” on New York state roads maintained by the State Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority. A “Work Zone Intrusion” is defined as an incident where a motor vehicle has entered a portion of the roadway that is closed due to construction or maintenance activity. Those crashes resulted in two fatalities and 138 injuries to highway workers and vehicle occupants.

To ensure the safety of both motorists and highway construction and maintenance workers, drivers must pay extra attention, adjust speeds accordingly and take every precaution in highway work zones to keep themselves and highway construction and maintenance workers safe so that everyone can go home safely at the end of the day.

Motorists are required to slow down, be alert and drive carefully in all work zones. In addition, motorists are required to move over a lane if safely possible for all vehicles stopped along the road. This includes vehicles displaying red, white, blue, amber or green lights that indicate emergency response vehicles, tow trucks and highway construction and maintenance vehicles. Failure to comply will result in significant civil and possible criminal penalties.

While this effort may modify the driving behaviors of the motorist, it is critical that all roadway construction contractors plan and establish their work zones in adherence to those standards set forth in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). A well planned and properly executed Construction Work Zone is essential for providing safe passage for pedestrians and the motoring public during maintenance and construction activities on all roadways.

On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, All roadway safety professionals across the country are encouraged to wear Orange to proudly show their support of work zone safety. National Work Zone Awareness Week and Go Orange Day are especially important to the families of victims who have lost their lives in work zones.

For more information of Nation Work Zone Awareness week, visit https://www.nwzaw.org.