April 11–15 is National Work Zone Awareness Week

As lineworkers and road crews do their jobs to help the community, electric cooperatives ask drivers to do their part in keeping workers, themselves, and their passengers safe when driving through work zones. 

Tips for driving safely in work zones

- Pay attention and expect the unexpected. Work zone configurations can change without notice.
- Don’t text or talk on the phone and avoid taking your hands off the wheel. 
- Watch for speed limit reductions, narrowing lanes, changing traffic patterns, and – most importantly – highway workers.
- Respect the posted speed limits and safely merge as soon and as safely possible. This will allow traffic to flow smoothly. 
- Keep in mind: driving 45 mph, instead of 55 mph, through a 5-mile work zone will only add 1.2 minutes to your trip. Speeding and aggressive driving are major causes of work zone crashes.
- Keep a safe distance on all sides of your vehicle, and maintain a safe following distance. 
- Rear-end collisions are the most common type of work zone crash.
- Respect the flaggers and obey their guidance. Be patient when driving through work sites with flagger control.