Drive to Survive: Nighttime Road
Construction Poses Increased Safety Risks
ARTBA Warns of Increased Exposure to Drunk & Drugged Driving During National Work Zone Awareness Week Event

Washington, D.C. [April 04, 2006]—At an April 4 event marking the seventh annual National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) urged motorists to drive slowly and stay alert when navigating through nighttime road construction zones.

Brian Holmes, executive director of the Maryland Highway Contractors Association—ARTBA’s state chapter affiliate—noted that nearly 1,100 workers and motorists are killed annually in a roadway construction zone. Approximately 50,000 people—or one every nine minutes—are also injured in these sites each year, Holmes said.

As the nation’s roadways have become more congested, operating at capacities never intended by designers, states have shifted construction work to nighttime to help minimize the impacts on motorists. The result, according to ARTBA, has been increased safety risks for workers.

“Most road construction workers have very legitimate concerns about their safety because of the danger associated with nighttime construction work,” Holmes said. “Reduced visibility, motorist fatigue, and greater exposure to drunk and drugged driving are just some of the major hazards facing workers at night.”

Holmes said strategic illumination, visible police presence and stepped up speed enforcement would help enhance safety. He delivered his remarks at a nighttime NWZAW event held on the Washington, D.C., National Mall near the U.S. Capitol. It was organized by the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the transportation construction industry.

ARTBA is a long-time leader in roadway work zone safety initiatives. The ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) developed and manages the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, based at the Texas Transportation Institute, which offers the world’s largest on-line library on the subject. Its internet site, http://wzsafety.tamu.edu, handles over 100,000 user requests annually.

The ARTBA-TDF provided custom safety training to over 1,000 road construction workers during the past two years under a just-completed contract from the federal government. The Susan Harwood Grant, “Targeted Safety Training for the Roadway Construction Industry,” from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), was administered in fiscal years 2004 and 2005 by the ARTBA-TDF in partnership with the National Safety Council and CNA Insurance. It provided four hours of transportation industry-specific training in work zone safety for road construction workers, including activities relating to night work.

For more information on these and other ARTBA safety programs, contact ARTBA Vice President of Safety & Education .

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