As the mercury rises and summer hits its stride, so too do the risks escalate in the countless work zones that crop up on local roads and state highways. A recent congregation of various agencies highlighted a troubling trend: an uptick in fatal and serious injury collisions due to inattentive or reckless driving through construction areas. Yesterday saw the likes of Clark County Public Works, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and law enforcement united to make an earnest plea for safer driving practices, particularly in these vulnerable work zones.
It's troubling, said Carley Francis of WSDOT Southwest Region, in a report by Clark County Public Works, that despite the clarity in cause and effect — following too closely, speeding and distracted driving topping the list, the message to slow down and be attentive is still struggling to get through even as work zone crashes in Washington state surged by 17% last year, compounded by a 36% leap in the number of serious injury incidents, each statistic representing a saga of human trauma and loss that could have been avoided.
To deter such detriment and make roads safer for both workers and commuters, WSDOT unveiled its Work Zone Speed Camera Program, designed to catch and discourage speedsters red-handed. The program, which is expected to be in full swing with six cameras this summer, will provide the Washington State Patrol with the necessary imagery and data to nab offenders who don't heed posted limits.
And it's not just agencies calling for change, individuals like Clark County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit Detective Brian Durbin and Highway Maintenance Crew Chief Ben Kemp have told Clark County Public Works about harrowing experiences with distracted or reckless drivers in work zones, these are the human stories that linger long after the traffic cones are cleared, the stark reminders of what's at stake. As County Engineer Jeremy Provenzola points out, driving while distracted for mere seconds can be tantamount to barreling blind through the span of a football field, the potential for tragedy enormous.
