The Color Orange Reminds Us to Slow Down in Highway Work Zones

Spring is here, and with many colors in full bloom, the color orange takes on an important signal of safety while on the road. As construction season kicks off, we will see more orange signs on roads across the country reminding motorists that “Work zones are a sign to slow down.”

National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 11–15, is hosted annually each spring to raise awareness of work zone safety. According to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, work zone accidents led to 762 fatal crashes and resulted in 842 deaths in one year.

It may surprise you to know that most victims of work zone crashes are the motorists and their passengers. In fact, over 707 of the 842 fatalities were drivers or passengers.

As we all travel together on the roads this spring — whether we’re driving a car or a truck — it’s important to stay focused while behind the wheel, especially as you approach those orange signs and drive through a roadway work zone. Drivers should slow down, remain alert and proceed with caution while scanning one’s surroundings.

In the trucking industry, road safety is our highest priority. As America’s 3.36 million truck drivers travel across the country hauling all the goods that our communities rely on; food, clothing, medicine, and everything you need for your favorite activities, safety comes first to ensure on-time deliveries.

Through company and industry training programs, drivers are empowered with the tools, resources and technology they need to stay safe on the roads. In fact, at least $10 billion is invested each year into safety programs and training for trucks.

America’s professional truck drivers recognize the responsibility they have while sharing the road with the individuals and families driving alongside them, as well as to their families back at home. In fact, many truckers work with the public to educate them on how to drive with trucks on the road. One example is the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Share the Road program, which is comprised of drivers who volunteer to help educate the motoring public on how to safely drive alongside 18-wheelers through hands-on demonstrations.

While sharing the road with trucks, there are a few specific tips for motorists to keep in mind. When passing a truck, automobile drivers should signal, provide enough room ahead of the truck, and be aware of a truck driver’s blind spots. Trucks have a much shorter stopping distance. If you visualize a football field, that’s the length it takes a fully loaded tractor trailer to stop.

As the weather warms and more motorists hit the road, we must all take heed. Driving responsibly, especially through work zones, will keep ourselves, our families and those driving next to us, safe. Join with the trucking industry and help keep our roadways safer for all drivers this spring.