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Work Zone Safety Brochure

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Work Zone Safety, It's Everyone's Job

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No doubt you've seen the orange barrels in Indiana's highway work zones.  There's a lot more progress going on these days thanks to Indiana's fully funded 10-year highway construction plan, Major Moves.  You've probably seen our highway workers, too.  They're out on the road every day mowing medians, repairing pot holes and building new roads and bridges -- making Hoosier roadways safer for you and your family.

We know highway work zones can be frustrating.  We realize your life is busy and your time is precious.  But please understand when you drive dangerously through a highway work zone you're not just putting the lives of highway workers at risk -- you're risking your own life, and the lives of your loved ones.

Please, use caution and common sense when driving through highway work zones.  The simple tips in this brochure might just save someone's life.  Remember, when we're out on the roadway, work zone safety is everyone's job.

Safe Travels,
The Indiana Department of Transportation

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Scary Statistics

When it comes to work zones, even the smallest mistake can be deadly.  Just take a look at these numbers:
   

• Nationally, more than 1,000 people die in work zones each year.  That’s nearly three a day!
• Highway workers are killed in Indiana work zones every year.  In 2006, three Hoosier highway workers were killed when they were hit by cars in a work zone.
• Four out of five people killed in work zones are motorists – not highway workers.
• One in three work zone crashes is a rear-end collision.
• It takes just one minute more to travel through a two-mile work zone at 45 mph than 65 mph.
• Areas where traffic is entering or leaving work zones are the most dangerous because drivers are fighting for position.

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Driving Tips

These simple tips could save your life in a work zone:

• Stay alert! Look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers.
• Pay attention.  Work zone signs will tell you exactly what to expect ahead.
• Merge quickly.  If drivers merge as soon as they see the signs, traffic will flow more smoothly.
• Slow down.  If you’re speeding, you may encounter slowed or stopped traffic within seconds.
• Don't tailgate.  Maintain a safe distance on all sides of your vehicle.
• Minimize distractions.  The three C’s – cell phones, CDs and coffee – are the primary causes of driver inattention.
• Plan ahead. Expect delays and allow extra travel time.  Select an alternate route if you are running late.

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Our Safety Commitment to You:

• Working during nighttime and off-peak hours.
• Paying bonuses to contractors who finish road projects ahead of schedule.
• Installing concrete barrier walls on interstate construction projects.
• Communicating construction information to travelers and the media.
• Using electronic message and arrow boards.
• Wearing high visibility safety apparel and protective equipment.
• Cleaning up work zone crashes quickly and safely.
• Using extra police patrols in highway work zones.