DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – As part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, TxDOT is urging drivers to stay alert, move over or slow down while driving through areas where road crews are working.
Last year, there were over 3,000 work zone crashes, resulting in 10 fatalities out of nearly 200 statewide in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.
TxDOT’s Michelle Releford said the numbers have been consistently rising for years.
“In 2016, stats actually raised 5 percent for deaths in work zones and that would be highway construction work zones. It’s been 9 percent increase since then. So, it’s not a good trend,” she said.
In 2017, work zone crashes resulted in 199 deaths and 813 serious injuries.
Although heavy concentrations of highway construction in Dallas, San Antonio and Houston contribute to the numbers, Releford said distracted driving and speed are also factors.
She said there avenues cities can take to help reduce the number of crashes.
“In a typical work zone, TxDOT does not lower the speed limit. Municipalities can ask for a speed study and then they can ask TxDOT to put one in place for the duration of a project,” she said.
Road crew workers account for 4 % of the fatalities. The remaining 96 % include drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
Aside from the possibility of a crash, a driver that is caught speeding in a work zone could face some tough penalties.
According to TxDOT, fines can cost up to $2,000.
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