North Carolina DOT hosts national kickoff for National Work Zone Awareness Week

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North Carolina DOT hosts national kickoff for National Work Zone Awareness Week

NCDOT Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins speaks during the National Kickoff for NWZAW held at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds today.

Raleigh, N.C. (April 22, 2025) – The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) hosted today’s National Kickoff Event for National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW). The event was held at 10 a.m. ET at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds and open to the public as well as livestreamed via a link available at NWZAW.org.

This year’s theme is “Respect the Zone So We All Get Home.” The purpose of NWZAW is to bring attention to the importance of work zone safety and to educate the motoring public on the critical importance of obeying traffic laws when traveling through work zones.

USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy delivered a message for the event via video, reminding drivers to keep highway workers safe as construction season begins.

“Safety is my top priority,” Duffy said. “As the secretary of the department of transportation, I want to work with you to end the loss of life from preventable accidents.  The USDOT will continue to raise awareness of work zone safety, not only during NWZAW, but throughout the year.”

Governor’s Highway Safety Program Director Mark Ezzell welcomed everyone to the event, emphasizing the importance of work zone safety.

NCDOT Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins stressed the importance of state-level efforts.

“The safety of our roadway workers and the traveling public is a top priority at NCDOT,” Hopkins said. “The dedication of these individuals who work tirelessly on our highways, often near fast-moving traffic, to improve the infrastructure in our state is commendable. Today’s kickoff is a reminder to everyone of their responsibility to reduce driving speed, remain attentive and travel cautiously when approaching a work zone.”

Work zone safety advocate William “BJ” Drewery, an engineering technician III with Division 4 of NCDOT spoke about the ongoing impact of having witnessed a work zone crash in which someone was killed.

Law enforcement from several agencies attended the event including representatives from the North Carolina Highway Patrol, the North Carolina Chiefs of Police and North Carolina sheriff’s offices.

The National Work Zone Memorial was displayed during the event, honoring men, women and children who have died in work zones, including roadway workers, motorists, their passengers, pedestrians, law enforcement and other first responders.

Work Zone Safety Statistics: In North Carolina, there were 217 people killed in 39,919 crashes in roadway work zones between 2019 and 2024. In 2024 alone, 47 people were killed in North Carolina work zones, including two workers, eight pedestrians, and 37 motorists.

Statistics from the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse show most people killed in work zones are motorists, passengers and pedestrians. The most recent statistics show there were 821 fatal crashes in work zones resulting in 891 deaths in 2022. In 2022, 94 roadway workers suffered fatal injuries at their work site from all causes, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

ATSSA’s core purpose is to advance roadway safety. It represents the roadway safety industry with legislative advocacy and a far-reaching member partnership. It leads the nation in work zone safety training and education for roadway workers. And its members advance roadway safety through the design, manufacture and installation of road safety and traffic control devices. To learn more, visit ATSSA.com.