Motor vehicle crashes at work zones are something we deal with every day. 

In the roadway safety infrastructure industry, we are plagued by the hazards posed by distracted, fatigued, aggressive and impaired motorists traveling through our work zones. Not only are these motorists hazardous to our crews with boots on the ground, but they also pose a danger to other motorists. 

While we work to protect our employees, co-workers and the motoring public, we must also keep in mind that motor vehicle accidents in work zones are expensive and that carrying the proper insurance can be the difference between the longevity of a business and the shuttering of its doors.  

WASHINGTON – House Transportation & Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves commended ATSSA members on Tuesday for investing the time to take their roadway safety insights to Capitol Hill to share with legislators.

“These are very important,” he said of Fly-Ins. “When constituents come talk to members of Congress, it makes a difference.”

Graves (R-MO) was one of four public officials who spoke on the first day of the two-day Legislative Briefing & Fly-In. ATSSA members also heard from Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy.

Fredericksburg, Va. (April 17, 2023) – The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee on Traffic Control Devices invite students to compete in the 2024 Traffic Control Device (TCD) Student Challenge.

The TCD Student Challenge promotes innovation and stimulates ideas in the traffic control devices industry with a goal to improve operations and safety and encourage future generations of roadway safety professionals. As part of the challenge, individuals or student teams submit solutions in the subject area of transportation and roadway safety based on the chosen topic for the year.

This year’s topic is “Innovations to Improve the Nighttime Visibility of Traffic Control Devices.”

Fatalities in roadway work zones increased nearly 11% from 2020 to 2021, with deaths rising from 863 to 956, according to newly released federal data.

Drivers and passengers accounted for 778 of the 956 fatalities for 2021, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) shows.

“The continuing increase in work zone fatalities drives home the importance of National Work Zone Awareness Week, which begins on Monday,” said ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner. “We encourage every driver to be vigilant as they approach work zones and travel through them. This time of year sees a surge in work zones on the nation’s roadways so it’s important for everyone to recognize they play a role in work zone safety and to work with us.”

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner will be the guest on Transport Topics Radio this Saturday to discuss roadway safety in conjunction with National Work Zone Awareness Week, which runs April 17-21.

The Road Dog Trucking radio program airs live at 1 p.m. Saturday and rebroadcasts at 11 p.m. Saturday, and noon and 9 p.m. Sunday. All times are Eastern Time.

Tetschner will speak during the first ½-hour segment of the two-hour program, which airs on SiriusXM Radio, Channel 146.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (April 5, 2023) – The recent tragedy near Baltimore, Md., where six roadway workers were killed when one vehicle apparently collided with another before crashing into their work zone demonstrates the tremendous risk workers face each day while seeking to earn a living.

“These six individuals went to work that day simply to do their part to provide safe highways for the motoring public. But they didn’t make it home to their families, who are now left to grieve as they face life without them,” said ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner. “The roadway safety industry does its best to provide safe workspaces for its personnel and continually looks for new strategies to prevent such tragedies but the fact is, everyone plays a role in work zone safety and we need everyone to work with us.”

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) was established more than two decades ago to increase attention to the need for motorists to exercise caution when approaching and passing through roadway work zones. In 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 857 people were killed in work zones with another 44,240 injured, according to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner expressed his condolences to the families who lost loved ones in last week’s tragic work zone incident in Baltimore County, Md., in which six people were killed.

“ATSSA is deeply saddened by yet another tragedy that resulted in the loss of essential workers within our industry.  More important than being workers, these individuals had families and loved ones they did not return home to. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of Sybil Lee Dimaggio, Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, Jose Armando Escobar, Rolando Ruiz, Mahlon Simmons II and Mahlon Simmons III.”

The six workers were killed March 22 in Maryland while working to improve a roadway and ensure the safety of all road users. 

“This devastating event serves as a stark reminder of the importance of work zone safety and the risks faced by roadway construction workers every day. It is crucial that the industry and the driving public come together to prevent future tragedies like this one from occurring,” Tetschner said.

Inspired by the death of an Indiana traffic control flagger, Senators Mike Braun (R-IN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) this week introduced a resolution to recognize National Work Zone Awareness Week, which takes place April 17-21.

Ben Fisher was struck and killed in 2019 while working for a traffic control company on Indiana State Road 13, according to a statement from Braun’s office. The statement also notes the increase in work zone fatalities nationwide since 2006 and the goal of increasing awareness of the hazards of work zones for drivers, workers and pedestrians, and the value of training.

“Far too many road workers and emergency servicemen are injured and killed each year by automobile drivers. Ensuring the safety of these essential men and women is a no-brainer, and I’m excited to join Sen. Blumenthal to introduce legislation that raises awareness about making America’s roads less hazardous for everyone,” Braun said in announcing the resolution.

What issues are front of mind as ATSSA members contemplate 2023? What variables are being used to gauge how things will go in the long-term? What opportunities are on the horizon that are building excitement?

ATSSA asked four members who are leaders in different segments of the roadway safety infrastructure industry for their views on those questions and more for the Winter issue of Roadway Safety magazine, which is online today. Read what they had to say and see how their views compare to your own.

The Winter issue also explores rural road safety solutions, the importance of keeping workers from being distracted on the job, where wider pavement markings are being utilized and much more.