The Shadow
(VR) – Along with warmer temperatures, springtime brings an increase in work zones as the Virginia Department of Transportation improves the roads we all rely on.
April 20-24 is Work Zone Awareness Week, and we ask you to embrace this year’s theme: Safe Actions Save Lives.
Remember, VDOT and contractor crews are sons and daughters, moms and dads, brothers and sisters. Like you, they want to get home safely to their families. While the crews are vulnerable in their jobs, motorists are four times more likely to be injured in a work zone crash.
Join us for Go Orange Day on Wednesday, April 22, by wearing something orange to support work-zone safety. That same day at 3 p.m., you are welcome to join the annual vigil at the VDOT Worker’s Memorial along Interstate 64 on the east side of Afton Mountain.
Here’s how you can improve safety in work zones:
- Slow down. Reduced speed limits protect you, other motorists and the crews working.
- Avoid distractions: That includes phones, food, makeup and anything that draws your attention from the road.
- Don’t tailgate. Work zone travel lanes are often narrower, and sometimes shoulders are closed. Leave plenty of following distance.
When you’re driving through a work zone, it takes only a second to change someone’s life. Please do your part to keep our roads safe and remember that Safe Actions Save Lives.
Sincerely,
Joel DeNunzio, P.E.
Staunton District Engineer
Virginia Department of Transportation
