Though the coronavirus pandemic has enabled road construction to accelerate because of less traffic, reports of those remaining drivers taking the opportunity to speed has also made road workers more vulnerable, say some state departments of transportation.
The Ohio Department of Transportation reports that five of its work zones have been crashed into by drivers within an eight-day period, with two of the crashes injuring its employees.
The first of the crashes, on May 27, resulted in a worker being airlifted to a Columbus hospital after a tractor trailer ran into the back of an ODOT truck in a rolling work zone on U.S. 30 in Crawford County.
On June 1, another ODOT worker was treated at a hospital with an arm injury after being hit by a vehicle while he was closing a ramp.
The following incidents occurred within the next three days, with no injuries:
ODOT reports that so far this year, 16 ODOT crews have been struck while working on the state’s roads. It sent out a public notice to remind drivers of the state’s Move Over Law, which was expanded in 2013 to include every stationary vehicle with flashing lights, including those for road work.
“These crashes are 100 percent preventable,” says ODOT Director Jack Marchbank. “Our workers and their vehicles are highly visible when they’re on the road.”
