Orange barrels. Flashing signs. Narrowed lines. We’ve all seen them every day on any road we travel. And if you slowed down enough—I’m half kidding and 1,000% hoping you’re not laughing—you have seen the workers all too often working just a few feet away from the Mad Max mayhem.
What too many don’t see is the growing sense of unease each of those workers feel every time they step out of their trucks to hit the jobsite. And because the numbers are so obviously direct, we know that one distracted driver could change everything in an instant.
Let’s face it. This is our industry and the numbers don’t lie. According to recent surveys from the Associated General Contractors of America and Travelers Insurance, nearly 60% of contractors have experienced a vehicle crash in a roadway work zone in the last year. One in three reported five or more. These are beyond unnecessary data points. They represent collisions with consequences—injuries, fatalities and deep, lasting impacts on construction teams and their families.
Even more alarming? In far too many of these incidents, the people most at risk aren’t just the workers—it’s the drivers themselves. Contractors report that drivers and passengers are more likely to be injured or killed in work zone crashes than the workers they speed past.
Does that wake anyone up? Rattle some cages. Force more brakes to pressed as cars speed past the warning signs?
On a recent trip back from visiting my daughter from Oxford, Mississippi, I cannot tell you how many vehicles streaked right up to—and just beyond—the sanity zones.
And come one, we have the tools. Stronger enforcement. Stricter laws around cell phone use (yeah, I’m talking to you. Greater police presence at job sites can help. But these actions must be matched by awareness. Too many states have failed to prioritize work zone safety. That’s why trade associations and contractors are calling on Congress to make meaningful changes in the next federal highway bill.
Still, progress isn’t just about bureaucracy (that’s a whole other mess of words). State DOTs and technology partners like Haulhub are showing what’s possible by collecting live construction data to help inform drivers in real time. It’s a step in the right direction—one that proves collaboration can save lives.
Worker safety isn’t a talking point. It’s a responsibility. And in the commercial construction industry, that responsibility starts with everyone who steps behind the wheel.
So, because each of you understand how this works. Let’s make sure our family, friends and the other speed racers out there know that if life is going to change in an instant, make it the good kind.
Story by Michael J. Pallerino, editor of Commercial Construction & Renovation magazine. Over the past 30-plus years, he has won numerous awards, including the “Jesse H. Neal Editorial Achievement Award,” recognized as the Pulitzer Prize for business-to-business magazines. He can be reached at mikep@ccr-mag.com.
