Behind the Wheel at Work – Vol 7 No 1

What is a work zone?

According to the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, a work zone is an area of a highway with construction, maintenance, or utility work activities. It is typically marked by signs, channelizing devices, barriers, pavement markings, and/or work vehicles.

Work zones are dangerous both for drivers passing through these areas and for workers who build, repair, and maintain our streets, bridges, and highways.

Motor vehicle crash deaths in work zones from 2016-2020^[1]

• 4,048 individuals – motorists, other road users, and workers – died in work zone crashes. On average—810 per year.
• These deaths most often occurred in construction work zones (2,454; 61%), followed by work zones of unknown type (1,259; 31%), maintenance work zones (270; 7%), and utility work zones (65; 2%).
• Most of those killed were drivers of motor vehicles in transport (2,526; 62%), followed by passengers of motor vehicles in transport (788; 19%) and pedestrians (651; 16%).
• Nearly half of all work zone deaths were in Texas (826), Florida (379), California (371), Georgia (243), and Illinois (150).
• 30% of fatal work zone crashes involved a large truck (1,075).
• Number of people killed in work zones when at least one driver was:
  • Speeding (1,272, 31%)
  • Impaired by alcohol (1,139, 28%)
  • Distracted (544, 13%)
  • Drowsy (140, 3%)

Workers killed at road construction sites:

Workers might be struck by a passing motorist or by construction equipment, or they might themselves be an operator whose equipment rolls over.

From 2011-2020^[2]

• 1,260 workers died at road construction sites. On average—126 per year.
• Transportation events accounted for 73% of worker deaths at road construction sites during the 10-year period (919). In 63% of these transportation events, the worker was struck by a vehicle (577).
• 371 of the 577 workers were struck by a forward-moving vehicle, 123 by a backing vehicle.

From 2011-2018 (total: 1,008)^[3]

• Pickup trucks and SUVs accounted for 169 worker deaths at road construction sites, followed by automobiles (149), machinery (146), semi-trucks (141), and dump trucks (89).
• More than two-thirds of the workers who were killed were employed as:
  • Construction laborers (253)
  • Heavy and tractor trailer drivers (142)
  • First-line supervisors of construction and extraction workers (96)
  • Highway maintenance workers (96)
  • Construction equipment operators (81)
• 864 workers killed at road construction sites worked in private-sector construction. Of those, 68% worked for either heavy and civil engineering construction companies (470) or specialty trade contractors (119).
• 144 workers (14%) killed at road construction sites worked in the government sector, with roughly equal numbers working for state (73) and local governments (68).

The bottom line: Work zones are a sign to slow down and focus only on driving.

[1] NHTSA [2022]. Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST) (dot.gov)
[2] Bureau of Labor Statistics [2021]. Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2014-2020. Create customized tables.
[3] 2019 and 2020 data are not available or not reported consistently for all vehicles, occupations, and industries.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration web page:

• Work Zones Safety Tips
• Work Zone Safety Toolkit

Federal Highway Administration web page: What’s a Work Zone?