Nearly 2 in 3 contractors reported a crash in a construction work zone over the past year, a study by The Associated General Contractors of America and Heavy Construction Systems Specialists (HCSS) found.
"Association officials and construction workers urged drivers to slow down and be careful this summer while driving through construction zones," the organization wrote in a news release following the study.
The national data showed that nearly 1 in 4 contracting firms had reported experiencing five or more crashes during the prior 12 months, and almost 1 in 10 respondents reported that a construction worker was killed in a work zone crash.
In March of 2023, a work zone crash on I-695 killed six workers instantly when a car drove through an opening in the work zone barrier.
The trial of the driver is expected to begin in early July. Another driver pleaded guilty and is serving 18 months for his role in the crash.
That crash prompted a work zone safety group to recommend changes to the law in the Maryland Road Worker Protection Act of 2024, which passed earlier this year.
Changes to the law, like increasing automated enforcement, that the President and CEO of HCSS recommended following the release of the survey results.
"It compels drivers to decrease their speed and pay closer attention to their surroundings," he says.
The study also found that 64% of contractors said that "current penalties for moving violations (like speeding) in highway work zones are not sufficient to deter unsafe driving behavior."
The bill that passed earlier this year, which was championed by the Lt. Governor, increases automated fines for speeding in highway work zones in certain circumstances and will go into effect on January 1, 2025.
The survey only had three Maryland participants, but the State Highway Administration has hard numbers on work zones in the state.
Preliminary data for 2023 shows that 12 people were killed in work zone crashes, the same number as in 2022.
There were also 439 non-fatal injuries for 2023, up from 413 in 2022.
As of April this year, there have already been 3 fatalities in work zones, and 94 non-fatal injuries.
