From KMOV-TV, St. Louis, Sept 3, 2010:
Some drivers are failing to stay in their lane, creating a potentially dangerous situation. I’ve been checking on this and have talked with MoDOT and with drivers. The problem appears to be with motorists who aren’t paying attention or drivers who are going through the construction zone for the first time. [emphasis ours]
MoDOT says it hasn’t had any formal complaints and the Missouri Highway Patrol hasn’t investigated any accidents in the construction zone.
MoDOT is warning drivers to be alert on this construction zone because the lane shifts will change every two weeks until the work is completed around the first of December.”
Go here for the article and video.
Two points:
1.) DOTs consider lane changes one of the 3 major causes for crashes in work zones. The other two? Speeding, and failing to maintain distance.
2.) We have a product to alert drivers, especially distracted ones: RoadQuake temporary portable rumble strip. They might be effective here, especially because the lane changes will occur every 2 weeks. For more information, visit us at www.plasticsafety.com.
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Great advice from Ohio DOT:
“ODOT, meanwhile, is reminding drivers that road construction season still is in full swing, meaning motorists need to continue leaving a clear distance between vehicles, reducing speed and staying alert — especially in work zones.”
Read the entire article here.
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It’s always worse-than-expected.
Read the entire article here.
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This is a great idea, and becoming ever more popular, it seems.
From the article:
“With five huge highway construction projects underway in Northern Virginia, drivers are facing plenty of red brake lights amid orange barrels. With the hope of keeping motorists moving, the Virginia Department of Transportation has added seven safety service “patrollers” to…assist stranded motorists and move their vehicles out of the way.”
Read the entire article here.
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“BUFFALO (wned) – An Ohio truck driver responsible for a fatal crash involving of a mother of two from Snyder on the New York State Thruway last winter has been sentenced to 3 to 9 years in prison.
45-year-old Thomas Wallace of Brook Park, Ohio, admitted to being both tired and distracted when his tractor-trailer struck a stalled vehicle, killing its owner, Julie Stratton. He pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in May.
Stratton’s vehicle was stalled in the passing lane after having hit a deer. Wallace was found to have been watching pornography on a laptop computer at the time of the crash.
Judge Robert Noonan called Wallace’s actions “grossly irresponsible.” Wallace issued a tearful apology to Stratton’s family in Gennesse County Court.”
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From the TRB e-mail newsletter, published today:
“The U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Operations has launched a new page on its Work Zone Safety website designed to be a central source of data and links to information and technical resources on roadway worker safety.”
The new web page is here.
To subscribe to the weekly TRB e-mail newsletter, go here.
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From the article:
“To reduce deaths on America’s roads, [IIHS President] Lund says, the most important safety issues that need to be addressed are speeding and running red lights, which he says have gotten short shrift to debates over unintended acceleration and driver distraction.”
Read the entire article here.
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From the article, which is a salute to the American construction worker:
“Many people may not realize it but the construction industry is the most dangerous work on land outside of the military.”
Read the entire article here.
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We have long stated that lapdogs in cars, and the men who play with them, should be considered a distraction and a danger of the highest order.
We are delighted to report that driving-while-playing-with-lapdog, once a personal objection of ours, a pet peeve if you will, is now an official type of distracted driving.
Read the entire article here.
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