In an alert to drivers, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is pleading with the public to take extra caution on the roads during National Work Zone Awareness Week, which runs April 15-19. The call for vigilance follows a grim tally of lives lost—nearly two dozen—in work zone crashes in the state last year. TDOT is driving the message home with this year's somber theme: "Work zones are temporary, your actions behind the wheel can last forever."

"We engineer our roads to be as safe as possible," said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley in a statement released on the TDOT website. "But there's no amount of engineering that can change driver behavior. 113 TDOT workers have been killed while working on our roads. This is very personal for me," he continued, emphasizing the need for drivers to "slow down, move over, and pay attention every time they’re behind the wheel, especially in work zones."

The spring and summer months serve as the prime time for highway work, leading to an increased presence of work zones that include tasks from interstate widening to litter pickup. Despite enhanced safety measures, this year has already seen 29 incidents where drivers crashed into TDOT equipment and vehicles.

The "Work with Us – Move Over, Slow Down" campaign, launched by TDOT in 2017, aims to raise awareness about the year-round importance of work zone safety. To promote this cause, TDOT's overhead Dynamic Message Signs will be showcasing safety messages, and landmarks are set to glow in orange for the campaign. Moreover, on April 17th, dubbed "Wear Orange Day," Tennesseans are encouraged to show their support for the campaign—a detail mentioned in the TDOT release.

TDOT has not skimped on ways to inform the public. Infographics, videos, and posts will be spread throughout social media platforms to amplify the message of driving safely through work zones. The stark statistics from 2023 underscore the campaign's urgency: 2,832 total crashes, with 634 resulting in injuries on Tennessee roads were reported. For drivers willing to pledge their commitment to road safety, TDOT offers a "Work with Us" pledge on their site.