From the Driver's Seat

The Warmer the Weather, the More Work Zones

By Bernie Wanyo, Professional Driver, UPS; America’s Road Team Captain

Spring and summer bring about rain showers, flowers and the full swing of work zone season. Some projects you might come across at this time of year include the repair or replacement of road surfaces, roadway widening, and full bridge replacements. Whether you drive on interstates, state routes or country roads, your normal commute will be affected, and road construction workers will need your cooperation and patience to keep everyone safe.

I am Bernie Wanyo, an America’s Road Team Captain and a professional truck driver for UPS. I have been in the trucking industry for 26 years and have more than 1.8 million miles of safe driving. My wife, Angela, is also a professional driver for a local trucking company, driving a tri-axle dump truck. When I started writing this op-ed, I asked about her work zone safety experiences since she is often delivering or working at those sites.

The following are some of her statements that really illustrate how dangerous work zones can be for both workers and drivers.

I have seen hard hats blown off of ground crew workers from passing traffic.

Sometimes, the workers are forced to be close to the edge of the traffic pattern, and at the end of the day, they talk about how many close calls they had just in one shift.

Since I work with many different crews, I travel through all active zones below the speed limit to help protect all of the workers.

Pennsylvania, my home state, recently began cracking down on speeding within work zones, setting up cameras to help slow motorists. Since the program launched, there has been a decrease in work zone crashes and fatalities. Having a loved one who works in work zones, I am thankful for this initiative. If everyone in the motoring public knew someone who was employed in work zones, maybe nobody would speed or drive distracted in these areas.

Below are some essential safety tips when traveling through work zones:

• Drive at or below the posted work zone speed limit.

• Stay alert and pay close attention to signs and flaggers.

• Give workers as much room as you can.

• Turn on your headlights if signs instruct you to do so.

• Maintain a safe distance around vehicles. Do not tailgate.

• Use four-way flashers when stopped or traveling slowly.

• Avoid distractions and give your full attention to the road.

• Buckle up.

• Be patient.

Federal Highway Administration statistics show that in 2021, there were 106,000 crashes within construction zones, resulting in 956 fatalities – a 10.8% increase from 2020. Of those fatalities, 173 were pedestrians or bicyclists.

From my family to yours, please take note of the advice in this article and travel safely during this work zone season. Everybody’s family wants them to make it home safely.

I want to end on this last thought from Angela: “I am not trying to sound like a billboard, but slow down and treat every worker like they are a family member. All we want to do is make the roads better and get home to our families.”