The 2019 National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week (2019 NWZAW) celebrated its 20th year! Held April 8-12, NWZAW’s kick-off event was held in Washington, D.C. and hosted by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) on April 9 with the “Go Orange Day” on April 10. All were encouraged to wear orange and post photos to help celebrate! Brandye Hendrickson, FHWA Deputy Administrator led the kickoff work zone safety awareness event for the 2019 NWZAW in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.
This year’s theme was Drive Like You Work Here!
NWZAW is an annual spring campaign held at the start of construction season to encourage drivers to use extra caution in work zones. Administrator Hendrickson was joined by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), state highway and transportation agencies, trade associations, contractors, cement companies, local officials, construction workers, other stakeholders in the transportation-construction community, and families of highway work zone victims, to build awareness about work zone safety. All united in building greater awareness of work zone safety. Administrator Hendrickson also spoke at the North American Concrete Alliance Fly-In and reminded participants of the “Drive Like You Work Here” theme.
In 2017, the most recent year for which data are available, there were 799 fatalities in work zones, which is a 2% increase from the previous year, according to an FHWA press release.
History (timeline) of NWZAW:
A yearly event that takes place across the United States at the beginning of the roadway construction season, with partnerships between state departments of transportation (DOT), national road safety organizations, government agencies, private companies, and individuals, the awareness week is shared nationwide. Each year, a state department of transportation (DOT) hosts a kickoff event for NWZAW. State DOTs must apply to host the NWZAW kickoff event in their state. How did this work zone safety awareness campaign get started?
1997: Group of Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) staff members, located in southwestern Virginia, wanted to dedicate a week to raise awareness about work zone safety among all district employees before construction projects picked up during the warmer months. Following the successful promotion of this first event, VDOT brought the idea of raising awareness to other DOTs.
1998: VDOT presented the idea to create a national campaign to American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) officials
1999: California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) began its statewide public awareness campaign “Slow for the Cone Zone”
1999: December, ATSSA approached the FHWA and the AASHTO to launch the first official NWZAW. They developed an agreement between the organizations, that outlined goals for NWZAW efforts:
- Initiate efforts to raise awareness of the need for more caution when driving through work zones to decrease fatalities and injuries;
- Establish and promote a uniform set of safety tips;
- The value of training and importance of best practices in regard to work zone safety would be promoted among individuals in the private sector, industry, and roadway workers;
- Reach out to both roadway workers and contractors to communicate possible effects of motorists’ behavior in response to traffic delays, and advise on what steps might possibly be taken to lessen negative behavior; and
- Outreach efforts would be made to work with entities involved with work zone safety and to form partnerships.
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