Construction crews across Charlotte and the Carolinas say distracted drivers and speeders are turning highway work zones into increasingly dangerous places to earn a paycheck, just as summer travel kicks into high gear. Workers and contractors report more vehicles drifting into work areas and more near-misses this year, raising fresh alarms about safety for both roadside crews and the people driving past them.
A recent industry survey suggests those worries are widespread. Ninety-three percent of North Carolina highway contractors identified distracted driving, including phone use, speeding and reckless or impaired driving, as a primary cause of work-zone crashes. The poll, released May 27 by Carolinas AGC in partnership with AGC of America and HCSS, also found many contractors believe work-zone risks are higher than a year ago, according to Carolinas AGC via PR Newswire.
State Data Show Thousands of Crashes
Recent figures from the North Carolina Department of Transportation back up those concerns. The state logged more than 6,000 work-zone crashes last year and roughly two dozen fatal crashes, with nearly half of those wrecks happening on interstates. About 77% occurred during the daytime in clear, dry conditions, which means bad weather is not the main culprit. County totals put Orange at the top with 738 work-zone crashes in 2025, followed by Wake with 666 and Mecklenburg with 598, as reported by Spectrum News.
What NCDOT Is Deploying
State officials are leaning on both technology and stepped-up enforcement to try to push those numbers down. The DriveNC site and app now offer customizable alerts, mapping and live camera feeds to warn drivers when they are approaching active work zones. NCDOT has also deployed radar trailers and portable speed signs to slow traffic and boost visibility for crews. Officials say those measures, paired with more patrols, have helped reduce crashes in some corridors.
"Do not drive distracted. Be present and be aware of your surroundings," NCDOT resident engineer Brian Davis told Spectrum News, adding that the tools have coincided with recent declines in work-zone incidents.
Contractors Pressing for Tougher Penalties
Contractors say the current toolbox is not enough and are pushing for tougher enforcement and new laws. Their wish list includes automated speed enforcement and stricter distracted-driving rules that would add extra protection for workers who are often just a few feet from live traffic.
"Drivers who speed, use their phones, or fail to stay alert put both motorists and roadway workers at serious risk," AGC leaders wrote in their release, according to Carolinas AGC via PR Newswire.
How Drivers Can Help
State safety guidance from the North Carolina Department of Transportation urges drivers to do the basics that are often ignored: slow down, leave extra space behind the vehicle in front, obey posted signs and flaggers, and avoid changing lanes inside work zones in order to cut the odds of a crash, according to NCDOT.
The department also notes that, after an engineering review, an additional 250 dollar speeding penalty can be applied in designated high-speed work zones. The criteria for those ordinances are laid out in NCDOT's 250 dollar ordinance guidelines.
