• Four out of every five work zone fatalities are motorists traveling through the work zone.
• Forty-five percent of all work zone fatalities for 2010 were 35 years old or younger.
• In 2010, 61 percent of work zone fatalities were male.
• Of the 100 work zone fatalities in 2010, 54 were drug and alcohol-related

• Pay attention to the orange diamond-shaped warning signs or electronic message boards posted in advance of a road construction project.
• Stay alert. Dedicate your full attention to driving.
• Minimize distractions. Avoid changing radio stations, using a cell phone, etc. while driving in a work zone.
• Drive carefully and slowly through the construction site; always obey the posted speed limits in the work zone area. Speeding is one of the major causes of work zone crashes. Remember, traffic fines double in work zones.
• Pay close attention and heed directions on work zone warning signs. Signs and work zone flaggers save lives.
• Watch for stopped or slowing traffic. Do not tailgate.
• Expect the unexpected. Anticipate potential dangers.
• Watch how the traffic ahead is flowing.
• Keep an eye out for construction workers, their equipment and vehicles, as well as the vehicles around you.  Workers and heavy equipment may only be a few feet from passing vehicles
• Use extra caution when driving through a site at night.
• Watch for detours and lane diversions.
• Be patient. Delays from highway construction can be frustrating, but it only takes a few extra minutes to slow down for a work zone.
• Leave a few minutes early when traveling through a work zone in order to reach your destination on time.

• Speed up or slow down significantly while going through a work zone.
• Slow down to look at the construction work being done.
• Resume normal speed until after you emerge completely out of the work zone area.
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• ailgate. Most of the accidents within a work zone are rear-end collisions.

Each year in April, National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is held to bring national attention to motorist and worker safety and mobility issues in work zones. Since 1999, Federal Highway Administration has worked with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) to coordinate and sponsor the event.

For more information: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/outreach/wz_awareness.htm