What do you do when you see signs indicating there’s work being done on the road? Do you take heed? Do you slow down? Well, statistically four out of five drivers say that they slow down when they see work zone signs and workers. The fact is, when checked by radar, zero drivers actually slow down. This is the problem in every work zone across the country – speed. No matter how perfectly a work zone is set, if drivers aren’t slowing down, there is peril at hand.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, work zone incidents occur nearly every 15 minutes in the United States, and the loss of life is about 900 to 1,200 people per year since 2016. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) outlines proper work zone set ups in chapter VI – all are based on approaching speed, condition of the roadway, and duration. So, let’s start with the basics of work zone safety.

Firstly, who’s traveling on this roadway? Well, it’s drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, in other words, all road users. Each have the potential right of way through your work zone. Understanding what kind of traffic will assist in proper set-up of devices and allow for better control by anticipating the nuances of the human factors involved.

It’s a fact that vision deteriorates with age. Are there older drivers potentially coming through your work zone? Plan for them. Where’s the sun? Will it be a factor for road users coming toward you? Should you put out an extra cone before they potentially get blinded for that quick second to let them know further in advance that you and your crew are up ahead?

Ability also deteriorates with age. We all get a little slower in our response time and every second counts. Driver distraction and inexperienced drivers can easily be a deadly combination. Some of our youngest drivers are the most agile on their phones and believe that they can do both at the same time. Some of our seasoned drivers aren’t nearly as proficient on their handheld devises, yet still believe they can do both at the same time, as well. Neither group are that talented and they are coming through your work zone.

You don’t have to look too far to see a driver make an error. The error can be slight, like the lane drifter or the driver who hugs the fog line. You may even have the driver who over corrects an error.

The best offense is a great defense. Keep aware at all times, that drivers never expect you to be in the road. If you operate with that mindset, you will stay better protected. Drivers have places to go and people to see, with an attitude of “Get out of my way.”

Secondly, how quick are road users traveling? With the human factors understood, let’s now add speed into the mix. The chart below shows how fast vehicles are traveling in feet per second. At 35 mph, it is 51 feet per second. That’s faster than we realize. Remember, our human factors of diminished eyesight and agility and those precious few delayed seconds could calculate to a driver being in your work zone in a matter of 3 seconds (150-plus feet), just because their phone rang or they got a text. It’s that quick.

Thirdly, what’s your set up? How long will you be “in the way”? The MUTCD, along with your state DOTs, have already done a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to work zone set ups. The Typical Applications (TA) illustrated in the MUTCD pages have all been engineer certified and with minor modifications, can easily adapt to fit your location. The duration that the actual work activity needed to complete the work is very much a basic consideration.

There are five categories of time, as defined in the MUTCD: long-term stationary, intermediate-term stationary, short-term stationary, short-term duration, and mobile. The last three categories can prove to be the most dangerous simply because complacency comes into play. Remember, vehicles, if just traveling at 35 mph are coming at you at 51 feet per second. If you stray in your best practices and think, “It’s going to take me longer to set up than it is to actually do the work,” then you are opening up yourself and your crew to an avoidable bad situation.

Not setting up the proper devices, even for short or mobile operations, results in undeniable exposure and vulnerabilities to an incident or accident. Any bodily harm or death as a result, also means great legal exposure for all connected to this work zone. Lawyers and insurance companies rely heavily on the MUTCD for proving/disproving fault. You, too, should rely heavily on the MUTCD and remain compliant with the standards, guidance and options outlined.

Here are some “must haves” to keep your work zone safe:

For advance warning, include a series of two to three signs reading posting general message – such as “road work ahead”– to more specific messages – like “one land road” or “flagger ahead” – as the road user approaches.

If you need to move road users around your work site, then make sure you have the proper taper in place that provide smooth and obvious route to follow. The taper length is dependent on where the work is taking place. There are five types of tapers: merging, shifting, shoulder, one lane-two way, and downstream. All types are defined in detail in the MUTCD.

This allows for extra stopping time for the road user and perhaps an escape route for flagger or traffic control officer. This should always be empty.

This is the primary project area.

This may or may not be necessary, but still needs to be obvious to the road user that the end road work has occurred.

You are the best traffic control device in the work zone. Stay aware and alert. Keep your work zone relevant by modifying the setup as needed to accommodate for all the factors of your current location. Best practices and MUTCD compliant devices and behaviors will keep you, your crew, and the traveling public safe.

Catherine Schoenenberger is the President Stay Safe Traffic Products, Inc, New Hampshire Construction Career Days, Inc, Associate Director Massachusetts Highway Association, and Past National President National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). She has been teaching work zone safety since 1998 and is a certified instructor for ATSSA and MassDOT for flagger certification. She can be reached at StaySafeTraffic@aol.com.