NY State Police and DOT Remind Drivers To Be Cautious of Construction Zone Accidents
When orange signs dot the road, drivers and construction workers are at risk. According to Brian Kelly, regional director of the state Department of Transportation, there were 350 work-zone accidents last year in New York, with five of them resulting in fatalities.
The DOT and the State Police are reminding drivers to be extra cautious as the weather warms up and more road crews are put to work.
The groups made announcements last week in conjunction with National Work Zone Safety Week, calling on drivers to be more careful.
“When you see the orange signs, barrels, and cones, please slow down,” said Jim McGee, regional director of Associated General Contractors, which represents many of the road workers.
The state’s Move Over Act has also been recently expanded to provide safer conditions for a variety of road workers. Not only are drivers required to move over when a police car has someone pulled over, but now you must move over whenever you see someone with red or amber flashing lights on the side of the road. This includes road construction crews.
“Road work can be a dangerous job, but that danger is heightened when drivers and work crews aren’t following safety regulations,” writes Brandi Devine for WBNG.
Construction work is dangerous no matter where it is. But when you put a construction site on the side of a road, where traffic is flowing at highway speeds, the site becomes many times more dangerous.
Not only do construction workers have to watch for regular construction site risks like equipment failure or falling objects, they must also watch out for distracted and speeding drivers.
Highway workers know the risks are high and typically have a lengthy list of safety requirements to follow and precautions to take. The foremen and supervisors on these sites are responsible for ensuring rules are followed in order to prevent construction accidents whenever possible.
If you are hurt in a New York or New Jersey construction accident, we may be able to help. We have represented many construction workers who were injured on the job, and we know what legal and financial hurdles you face.
Contact Ginarte Gonzalez & Winograd, LLP, today to discuss your case and how we might be able to help.
