May/June
2001
National
Work-Zone Awareness Week Commemorated Across the Nation
by Ann Walls
The second
annual National Work-Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) was held April 9
to 12, 2001, and the theme of this year's awareness campaign was "Enhancing
Safety and Mobility in Work Zones." The campaign, which included
activities in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico,
was well-received throughout the country.
A few
specific examples of campaign activities are provided in this article.
For a more complete report, visit the Web site (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/whats_new.htm)
for the Safety Core Business Unit of the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA).
 |
Each
orange traffic cone represents one of the 868 people killed
in work zones in the United States during 1999. |
|
FHWA,
along with its partners, held a kick-off media event on the grounds
of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on April 9. The event
included a sobering display of 868 highway cones, each draped with
a black ribbon; each cone represented a worker or motorist killed
in a work-zone-related crash in 1999.
"The
field of cones, each symbolizing a preventable death in a work zone,
reminds us of the real people who were part of crews working to improve
our roads. Most of the cones remind us of people like you, just driving
through until something went terribly wrong," said Vincent Schimmoller,
FHWA deputy executive director.
Other
participants in the D.C. event included: the American Traffic Safety
Services Association (ATSSA), American Association of State Highway
and Transportation Officials, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration,
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, International Safety
Equipment Association, Associated General Contractors of America,
American Road and Transportation Builders Association, National Safety
Council, Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America, Georgia
Department of Transportation (DOT), Maryland DOT, North Carolina DOT,
and Virginia DOT.
In Connecticut,
the FHWA Connecticut Division Office, the Connecticut DOT
(ConnDOT),
the Connecticut Department of Public Safety, and the Connecticut Construction
Industries Association (CCIA) sponsored a variety of activities for
the week. ConnDOT created a poster ("Pleaze Slow Down, My Daddy
Works Here") that was distributed to construction and trucking
associations, schools, driver education centers, highway rest areas,
public rooms in offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles, airports,
train stations, truck stops, town halls, libraries, and colleges.
Posters were also displayed on buses and billboards.
ConnDOT
purchased advertising on television and radio; many radio stations
aired the spots following their traffic reports. "Slow Down for
Work Zones" was flashed statewide on variable message signs,
and special work-zone safety messages were broadcast on ConnDOT's
highway advisory radio stations. The University of Connecticut showed
work-zone safety videotapes at the Connecticut Transportation Institute
and at the beginning of every engineering class. A work-zone awareness
information booth was set up at the annual conference of Connecticut's
Bituminous Concrete Producers Association.
A morning
at Montana's capitol was devoted to work-zone awareness. The Montana
Contractors Association, the Montana DOT, the Associated General Contractors
of America (AGC) Laborer's Union Local, 3M Corp., and FHWA had work-zone
materials on display in the rotunda of the state capitol in Helena
on April 9, 2001. Officials from the partnering organizations greeted
state legislators, visitors, and touring school children and provided
information on work-zone practices and public safety.
In Florida,
a mock work-zone display was set up by local vendors in partnership
with the Florida Transportation Builders Association, ATSSA, Florida
DOT, and FHWA. It included variable message signs, highway advisory
radio, and a radar speed trailer. A display booth in the capitol rotunda
reached hundreds of people, including state legislators and touring
groups of elementary school students. Similar displays were in all
seven Florida DOT districts, at state DOT headquarters, and at welcome
centers. Gov. Jeb Bush issued a proclamation recognizing the importance
of the event.
 |
The
message of NWZAW was disseminated in many ways, including
posters; signs; and animated characters, such as "Coneman". |
|
In Puerto
Rico, the Highway and Transportation Authority, the Traffic Safety
Commission, and the division offices of the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration and FHWA also sponsored a program with many
activities. The NWZAW poster was translated into Spanish, and local
logos were added. A flyer was prepared (in Spanish) with 10 safety
tips for drivers when driving in a work zone. All printed material
was distributed through regional construction offices, field offices,
and motor vehicle registration offices. An article announcing NWZAW
and its activities was published in a newspaper. The executive director
of the Traffic Safety Commission was interviewed on television and
radio regarding the NWZAW activities. A one-day work-zone safety seminar
was provided for construction and maintenance personnel during the
week.
The North
Carolina DOT held three kickoff ceremonies for NWZAW. The events took
place in Wilmington, Raleigh, and Salisbury. The slogan for these
events was "Speed a Little, Lose a Lot." The N.C. secretary
of transportation was the featured speaker at these events.
In California,
a kick-off event was held at the capitol with a display of 157 cones.
Each cone represented a maintenance worker who was killed in a work
zone in the state since 1924. A new training video, "A Safe Place
to Work," was released to help improve safety by showing proper
traffic control in work zones.
Ann
Walls is a marketing specialist in FHWA's Safety Core Business
Unit. She is a member of the American Marketing Association. She received
a bachelor's degree in business management (with an emphasis in marketing)
from the University of Maryland.
Other
Articles in this Issue:
5-1-1: Traffic Help May Soon Be Three Digits Away
Using
the Dynamic Modulus Test to Assess the Mix Strength of HMA
The
ITS Public Safety Program: Creating a Public Safety Coalition
Handling
the Worst Crash Ever in Virginia
Moving
Ahead - The American Public Speaks on Roadways and Transportation
in Communities
Branding America's Byways
Travelers
Seek Byway Experiences
National
Work-Zone Awareness Week Commemorated Across the Nation
Work-Zone
Traffic Control: Survey of Contracting Techniques