One of the most difficult and dangerous places to drive in Texas is on our highways. Driving through one of the major construction projects takes that experience to another level. If you’ve been in the D/FW area, two excellent examples of this would be the reconstruction of the D/FW Connector (Highways 121 & 114 north of D/FW Airport) or LBJ Freeway (Interstate Highway 635 between I-35 and Highway 75).
There are several factors that contribute to the explosion of accidents in these areas including;
- Lane closures
- Lane changes & shifts
- Exits moving or closing
- Construction vehicles entering / exiting the roadway or construction area
- Distracted drivers
These factors alone contributed to an 83% increase in the number accidents for the D/FW Connector project alone. Statewide, Texas numbers are also very interesting.
- Texas leads the nation in total highway fatalities, 2,902 in 2010 A
- The next closest state was California with 2,671 A
- Texas also leads the nation in work zone fatalities, 96 in 2010 A
- The next closest state for in work zone fatalities was Georgia with 57 A
- 20% of all fatalities involve construction personnel / 80% were drivers and / or passengers B
- In 2009, there were 3,871 distracted driver crashes in work zones involving 7,837 vehicles & resulting in 27 fatalities B
- In 2009 there were 15,131 work zone accidents throughout Texas B
- 66% of all work zone fatalities were male (2009B)
- 46% of all work zone fatalities were 35 or younger B
- One in three work zone crashes is a rear-end collision B
If we want to avoid becoming a part of these statistics and arrive alive, here are 4 driving habits to adopt when driving through one of our construction zones;
- Slow down – there can be daily changes to lanes & exits
- Leave earlier – that way you won’t be tempted to drive faster
- Get off the phone – about 25% of all the accidents were attributed to distracted driving
- Watch out for the other person who’s not doing the above
Have you been involved in an accident in one of Texas’ construction zones? Share what happened in the comments section below or on our Facebook or Google + pages. We’ll all learn something.
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