Go Orange Day for work zone awareness | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo by Kyle Nichols
On Tuesday, during the Ohio Department of Transportation’s National Work Zone Awareness Week, a sign is displayed at the ODOT district 10 headquarters with the slogan “slow down and move over” which is the main theme of the week.

By the Numbers

∫ Ohio Department of Transportation crew members were struck 125 times last year and have already been hit more than 60 times this year.

∫ Despite lower traffic volumes in 2020 due to the global pandemic, there were 4,540 crashes in Ohio work zones. Eighteen of those crashes resulted in 19 deaths.

∫ Statistics from the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse show there were 762 fatal crashes in work zones across the U.S. resulting in 842 deaths in 2019. The majority killed were motorists, passengers and pedestrians.

∫ Last year, 7,378 citations were handed out in work zones around the state with 49 percent of those citations being for speed in excess of 20 mph over the posted speed limit.

Source: Ohio Department of Transportation

The Ohio Department of Transportation is holding its 21 annual National Work Zone Awareness Week to remind drivers to be alert on the road. Ashley Rittenhouse, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation district 10, said distracted driving is one of the biggest issues in work zone safety.

“The bottom line is that driving is a big responsibility and requires a lot of attention, but in particular in those work zones where people might encounter unexpected conditions,” Rittenhouse said.

“They might come upon a traffic signal, have to take a detour, have to make a lane change or there might be a speed limit change. All those things can come up in a work zone.”

Tim Felton, a highway technician for the Ohio Department of Transportation, asks drivers to slow down and pay close attention in work zones.

“Watch for signs out there, and if we stop you, there is a good reason. We’re not just stopping traffic just because we can,” Felton said. “We’ve got equipment moving in and out of the road. Sometimes trees may fall in the road and limbs, and our technicians are moving back and forth within the lanes.”

The Move Over Law in Ohio is especially important to the safety of Ohio Department of Transportation personnel, Rittenhouse said.

“The Move Over Law in Ohio says that if you see flashing lights, whether that be ODOT or emergency personnel, or maybe even a tow truck driver, you are required to move over one more lane. If you can’t move over a lane, you must slow down,” Rittenhouse said. “That law is just really important for people to follow as they’re out there driving.”

To keep personnel safe in work zones, Felton said they use preventative measures like signage and crash trailers, but the public’s safe driving is the most effective way to keep crews out of harm’s way.

Rittenhouse said the Ohio Department of Transportation is constantly searching for ways to make the public and crews safer, like crash attenuators.

“It’s a partnership, and we need that cooperation from the traveling public to make workzones safe,” Rittenhouse said.

Felton’s request to the public was they remain alert so workers can get home to their families.

“We’re out there trying to make it safer for the public. Just, please, obey the signs, pay close attention to the workers, slow down and move over,” Felton said.

To avoid work zones altogether, Rittenhouse recommends downloading the Ohio Department of Transportation’s app called Ohgo. It shows real time construction updates and delays.

National Go Orange Day was created four years ago to draw attention to the importance of work zone safety in highway construction zones.

Kyle Nichols may be reached at [email protected]