Posted on 02/08/24
| News Source: WBAL
The Chesapeake Region Safety Council is launching a grassroots campaign asking drivers to take the Work Zone Safety Pledge.
The campaign comes almost one year since two cars driving on the Beltway at more than 100 mph crashed, one of them going through a work zone, killing six construction workers. The council’s president, David Madaras, told 11 News that crash was within a mile of their building.
According to officials, Maryland drivers crashed into more than 1,200 work zones in 2023. In response, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller chaired the Work Zone Safety Work Group, which released its recommendations in January, concluding that a culture change is needed among drivers.
| PDF: Read the recommendations
Madaras said the pledge asks drivers to slow down, move over for stopped vehicles and construction workers, and pay attention while driving in work zones.
“Slow down, move over and pay attention to what you’re doing,” Madaras said. “The road has changed. The environment’s a little different. You have to have a heightened sense of awareness. You got to be fully engaged with driving that vehicle when you’re going through a work zone because there is potential changes and potential hazards you may not normally encounter.”
Madaras said speed, distractions and impairment are all too common in highway crashes, and he hopes the pledge will remind drivers to be safe when driving through work zones.
“We want to get people to get skin in the game,” Madaras said. “If you take the pledge, hopefully, what will happen from this pledge is, as you hit the work zone, it’ll trigger something in your mind to say, ‘Hey, I remember I took that pledge.'”
Madaras hopes the campaign shows lawmakers and others that there are people that care and want to see more done about making work zones safer.
“Saving lives and preventing injuries is what we do, but it’s what everybody should be doing,” he said.
The panel asked for public feedback on many of its ideas and received more than 2,200 responses.
According to the survey results:
– 65% of respondents said they would be likely to slow down if fines increased.
– 68% support speed cameras at all work zones.
– 67% are in favor of more than one speed camera.
“We need to facilitate a driver culture change,” Miller said. “The No. 1 focus of the Work Zone Safety Work Group has been to address reckless driver behavior surrounding work zones.”
More than 700 of those surveyed left a comment. Those comments included:
– “Fines should be raised to $1,000 or more”
– “Publicize all violations on a website with the name and speed”
– “Anything over 20 mph in a work zone should require community service to pick up trash along state roads and interstates”
“Need to be able to collect fines across state lines”
– “After two work zone violations, drivers licenses should be suspended”