Give 'Em A Brake

Most of us drive through highway or road construction zones regularly, if not daily. I personally drive through two each day in my daily commute. We do it so often that we frequently give little thought to the workers who are actually out there improving our roadways. So I was surprised to hear that for the past decade, there have been an average of 1,000 fatalities per year in highway work zones, with another 60,000 people injured, according to the Associated General Contractors (AGC). As a result, this week has been named National Work Zone Awareness Week.

The AGC has set a goal for federal and state governments to reduce the number of highway work zone fatalities by 50% within the next two years. Many states (including Texas) have already doubled the fines for moving violations in these areas in an effort to increase safety. Still, we drivers need to do our part too.

So in honor of National Work Zone Awareness Week and, more importantly, in honor of the contractors improving our roadways, slow down and pay attention when you see roadwork being done. It shouldn’t cost a life to repair a road or bride.