Since 2019, a single week in the month of April is designated National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW). According to the official program, this week is “an annual spring campaign held at the start of construction season to encourage safe driving through highway work zones.” This year, April 26 to April 30 is work zone safety week.
In 2021, the theme of this year’s safety week is “Drive Safe. Work Safe. Save Lives.” With this work zone awareness week, the aim is to ensure everyone, both drivers and workers, remain safe while on the road or within a work zone. All too often, unfortunately, folks forget to look both ways, to slow down through work zones, or to adhere to basic traffic safety rules.
By working together and bringing awareness to such a dreadful situation, we can all do our part to cut down on severe injuries or fatalities in work zones across the nation.
It’s important to note that construction zone workers are people, like you and me, who want to go home each night safely. They want to finish their jobs without incident.
Remember the basic rules of work zone safety: reduce your speed, watch for signs or flaggers, and not drive recklessly.
Let’s all do our part to keep everyone safe!
Drive Safe. Work Safe. Save Lives
For this April, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and ATSSA come together to encourage locals across the nation to practice safe driving through work zones. With the theme of “Drive Safe, Work Safe, Save Lives,” the program breaks down the week into distinct days with specific themes for each, from recognition to awareness.
- Monday, April 26 — Work Zone Safety Training Day involves conducting personal events designed to emphasize the absolute importance of safety via personnel training on and around worksites.
- Tuesday, April 27 — The Kickoff Event, held in Michigan, will celebrate national work zone awareness week 2021 while adhering to social distancing guidelines and safety measures.
- Wednesday, April 28 — Go Orange Day involves roadway safety professionals proudly wearing orange to show support for work zone safety week 2021. We urge everyone to post their orange safety attire to social media and share their support for work zone safety and road safety.
Alongside safety in work zones, National Work Zone Awareness hopes to memorialize those killed in work zone accidents. As of this writing, the National Work Zone Memorial, which is updated annually, includes over 1,500 names.
By learning more about work zone safety and adhering to traffic regulations through such zones, we can all do our part to reduce the number of names added to the memorial each year. Ideally, no one would ever succumb to injuries on the job. We can all reduce the risks in any case.
How to Get Involved
If you want to get involved in work zone awareness week 2021, you’re not alone! Here’s how you can participate and help us raise awareness for work zone safety week:
- Traffic Safety — When you’re on the road, drive safely. It’s essential to adhere to all safety regulations, including stop signs and speed limits, and when driving through a work zone, reduce your speed significantly to avoid accidents or injuries.
- Spread the Word — Over on social media, let your followers know about work zone awareness week and how they too can become more involved and safer on the road. If you wear orange, share a picture. It’s also a fantastic idea to share traffic safety tips!
- Exercise Patience — We know that, yes, driving through a work zone is tiresome and somewhat aggravating, especially if you’re in a rush. Instead of letting the situation get the better of you, practice safe traffic calming solutions, like breathing exercises, behind the wheel.
We all must remember that we are not the only ones on the road. Other drivers, other workers, whose lives depend on our ability to remain calm and drive safely. Should any one of us lose our calm, the risk of a traffic accident increases exponentially, and that’s not good for anyone. That is the entire point of national work zone awareness week: Safety!
Would you like to know more about traffic calming solutions, work zone safety, or the many types of products available to keep our roadways safe and efficient? If so, now is the time to contact Transline! We have an extensive selection of products, and we do our very best to spread awareness about traffic safety concerns plaguing our society today.
