According to the Federal Highway Administration, more than 96,000 work zone accidents occurred during 2015, estimates suggest. During an average week of 2015, 12 fatal work zone accidents took place. Furthermore, 70 work zone accidents happened per day that caused someone to become injured in 2015, on average. For those who regularly find themselves in a work zone in San Bernardino or on any California roadway, as well as the families of road workers, going over statistics concerning work zone accidents is a good idea.
Between 2011 and 2015, vehicles that were backing up made up for 64 out of 240 road worker fatalities in work zone accidents where a vehicle’s direction was noted, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the same time period, 73 percent of road worker fatalities happened because of an event related to transportation. Clearly, vehicles are a major threat that road workers face each day on the job.
Work zone accidents also threaten the lives of drivers and the occupants of their vehicles. Between 2008 and 2014, the CDC reports that 591 people passed away every year in an accident that occurred in a maintenance or construction zone, on average. Whether someone is working in one of these zones or driving through, it is essential to keep an eye out for potential hazards at all times.
Regrettably, some drivers fail to safely drive through these zones, leaving workers with serious injuries or worse. For workers injured in a work zone incident, going over any resources that are of value, such as workers’ compensation, is a good idea.
