COOK COUNTY — Representatives from the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Georgia State Patrol and the Cook County Sheriff’s Department celebrated the beginning of National Work Zone Awareness Week 2008 Monday.
“Safety on the highway and interstate, especially in work zones, is a priority of the DOT,” DOT District Construction Engineer Joe Cowan said. “Georgia is experiencing such rapid growth, which has led to several construction projects on our roadways. Therefore, safety should be a primary concern, not only for the DOT construction crews, but for motorists as well.”
DOT 1st Congressional District Board Member Roy Herrington and 2nd Congressional District Board Member Billy Langdale further explained the purpose for celebrating Work Zone Awareness week, nationally as well as locally.
“Every day we lose citizens traveling in Georgia due to lack of precaution in work zone areas,” Langdale said. “Workers are also lost due to reckless drivers. We need to alert the public about the dangers of driving in a work zone and hopefully save lives in the process.”
DOT Communications Officer Craig Solomon added that orange ribbons will be worn throughout the week to remember DOT workers who were fatally injured on the job during traffic accidents.
Law enforcement officers reported that most people are involved in work zone traffic accidents because they do not pay attention to the speed limit and caution road signs. According to Cook County Sheriff Department Investigator Brent Exum, Cook County averages five to 10 accidents in work zones each week.
“Our whole county is a work zone,” Exum said. “So if someone takes their attention off the road or their surroundings for a few seconds, it could result in an accident.”
Exum added that Cook County, has approximately four work zone fatalities each year, which is higher than most counties in the state. He mentioned that the fine for speeding in a work zone in Cook County is $210.
Georgia State Patrol Sergeant 1st Class Scott Woodell also emphasized that most motorists have a common misconception that work zone guidelines only apply when DOT workers are on site.
“It is important that motorists proceed through work zones with caution even when DOT workers are not on site,” Woodell advised. “Other factors, which include the conditions of the roadway, contribute to traffic accidents.”
DOT representatives offered the following tips for motorists to keep in mind the next time they drive through a work zone:
• Slow down.
• Don’t tailgate.
• Pay attention to all the signs.
• Obey road crew flaggers.
• Stay alert.
• Expect the unexpected (e.g. lane shifts, reduced speed limits and work crews).
• Keep up with the flow of traffic.
Each year in April, National Work Zone Awareness Week is held to bring national attention to motorists and worker safety and mobility issues in work zones. The ninth annual National Work Zone Awareness Week will be held April 7-11. The theme for this year is “Slow for the Cone Zone.” For more information about work zone awareness, visit http://www.workzonesafety.org/news_events/awareness_week.
Local News
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Billy Langdale, Georgia Department of Transportation board member, speaks in Cook County Monday about the need for safety awareness in work zones.
Discussion
Work zone safety
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