This looks a lot worse than it was….good news for all of the drivers. 

From the article:  ”A commercial dump truck heading south on Ohio 159 had been stopped for construction traffic…”

And you can guess the rest.

The full article:

“Illinois State Police reporting that a pickup truckdriver is dead following a rear end collision this morning on northbound I-55.  At 12:37 AM, a scheduled lane closure was happening on North 55, at the new Arsenal Road interchange around mile marker 245.5. 

The stopped traffic had backed up about a mile to the OLD Arsenal Road interchange, and the pickup truckdriver apparently was not paying attention, and slammed full speed into a stopped semi in front of him. 

The pickup driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and no name has been released.”

From the TxDOT Media Release:

“All too often drivers ignore the warning signs, barrels, and cones that have been put in place to protect them and our highway crews,” said Greg Malatek, Austin District Engineer.

“These new rumble strip safety devices provide an audible warning to drivers in advance of traffic queues reminding them to slow down, pay attention, and watch for slower traffic. They are intended to bring the driver’s focus back to driving and what is happening in front of them.”

From the article and news report:

“I didn’t like it,” she said.  “It’s rough; it’s loud; it can be real irritating.”

This from a driver, about her experience driving over RoadQuake 2 Temporary Portable Rumble Strips. 

The driver meant her comments as complaint; to us, it’s high compliment.   The product did its job.  RoadQuake 2 alerted her to an upcoming construction work zone.

We certainly do not intend to irritate the American driver.  Heaven knows they are irritated enough already.  But compare a little irritation to this fact, from the same news report: 

“Texas has more accidents in work zones than any other state — 17,000 last year, which killed 134 people.  Most of the fatalities are drivers, not highway workers.”

We vote for loud and irritating over injured or dead.  How about you?

From the article:

That’s an astounding number.  

And frightening.  Here’s why….from the article:

“But all that construction means that about 1,500 workers will be on the roads each day, and concerns are rising about their safety.”

From the article:

“The problem is big. The Cohen Children’s Medical Center, which is in New Hyde Park, NY, has released data indicating that more than 3,000 teens die annually from distracted driving. That, the story said, compares to 2,700 who die from drinking and driving. The story said that distracted drivers are 23 times more likely to crash than those with both eyes on the road.”

In an effort to increase road safety, especially in construction zones, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) announced it will mandate the use of temporary portable rumble strips, like RoadQuake 2 temporary portable rumble strips, in highway work zones beginning in May. 

In 2012, there were 90,378 crashes related to distracted driving in Texas, causing 18,468 serious injuries and 453 deaths, according to a recent TxDOT report.

By mandating the use of temporary portable rumble strips, such as RoadQuake 2 temporary portable rumble strips by Plastic Safety Systems, Inc., TxDOT is hoping to cut down on those alarming figures.

RoadQuake 2 strips alert potentially distracted drivers to changing road conditions. The strips cover an entire lane of traffic and can be set up in minutes. At 13 inches wide and less than an inch thick, the strips generate the same level of sound and vibration as those that are milled into the road.

A variety of media outlets recently covered TxDOT’s decision to protect workers and drivers by mandating the use of the temporary portable rumble strips:  

 TXDOT uses new tool to catch motorists’ attention (KTBS-TV, April 2, 2013)

 TxDOT to install ‘rumble strips’ to increase safety in roadwork zones (The Eagle of Bryan, Texas, March 29, 2013)

 Rumble Strips Coming to Work Zones in Bryan (KBTX-TV, March 28, 2013)

 New TxDOT Safety Measures (The Hillsboro Reporter)

 Texas Rumble Strips (SafeMotorist.com)

 Lower speeds, rumble strips coming to I-35 work zones (The Baylor Lariat, Feb. 22, 2013)                                        

 Interested in purchasing RoadQuake 2 temporary portable rumble strips for a highway construction project? Contact your regional Plastic Safety Systems sales representative.

This is a follow-up to an article we posted the other day.  Lee Rizor, an Ohio DOT worker, was killed on Monday in a work zone accident. 

From this article:

“Troopers investigating…say there are no signs that the driver of a tanker truck slowed down before he hit an Ohio Department of Transportation worker…”