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Editorial
Board |
| Robert L. Hunter,
Editor |
| Julie Wurth,
Managing Editor |
| Wm. H. Manny, Executive News Editor |
| John N. Reid,
Executive Editor |
It's summer (almost) and the drivin' is dangerous
With the summer travel season officially under way, it's time to watch out for highway construction workers -- and cops enforcing limits in road-construction zones.
Highway travel multiplies in the summer, and so does road work. The 1995 Legislature made violations in construction zones a more expensive proposition for drivers, since fines are now doubled.
The state Department of Transportation recently mailed us some information about construction zone incidents. The agency said an average of 6,000 "hazardous violations" in work zones are issued annually. And ODOT is spending $1.2 million over the next two years to pay for cops to do extra patrols in construction zones.
In 1998, there were 450 accidents and 14 fatalities in work zones. According to federal studies, work-zone crashes are more dangerous than the average crash. The typical crash is an inattentive drive rear-ending a line of stopped cars, or drifting onto the shoulder.
Road workers are getting extra training in highway safety, and are doing more work than ever at night when traffic isn't as heavy.
But they still need drivers to slow down and be on alert in work zones. Think twice the next time you're tempted to speed through a construction project, where you may encounter flaggers, unfamiliar traffic patterns or detours.
And then think about yourself. Not only will it be more expensive to be cited for a violation in a work zone, more motorists than construction workers are killed in these zones.
