TxDOT campaign looks to raise awareness about safe driving near work zones

AUSTIN, Texas - TxDOT's latest campaign is looking to raise awareness about safe driving near work zones on Texas roadways.

By the numbers:

The agency says that last year, there were nearly 28,000 crashes and more than 200 deaths in work zones across the state. That number is a 12 percent increase from the previous year.

According to TxDOT, these crashes and deaths in Texas work zones happen despite highway warning signs, flashing lights, and crews wearing neon orange shirts and vests.

The campaign

What they're saying:

Ahead of Work Zone Awareness Week, April 21-25, TxDOT put together a display of 215 traffic cones, each marked to identify a person killed in a work zone crash in 2024. The cones serve as a painful reminder for Kathy Bond, the mother of a 22-year-old crash victim.

"My daughter was killed almost 14 years ago. Why is this still happening, why are there this many cones sitting here when, really, this is preventable," said Bond. 

Bond's daughter, Katrina, was a college student who had slowed down for traffic in a work zone on I-35 near Fort Worth when the driver of a heavy pickup truck, who admitted he had just received a text, slammed into her car. The force of the crash pushed Katrina’s car into the path of another truck, says TxDOT.

"September 7th, 2011, my daughter was driving home from work in Central Texas on I-35 and when a construction zone and there was a truck driver behind her. He had just returned from a rodeo. He did not realize he was entering a construction site and hit my daughter and killed her instantly," said Bond.

"We have lots of lives that are being lost on Texas roads: mothers, brothers, sisters, people who are traveling, but also our workers that are on the road," said TxDOT spokesperson Monique Campa. "We want you to be off your phone, even your radio can be a distraction, so make sure you are free of distractions. Make sure that you are paying attention to the traffic, as we said traffic patterns are changing all the time."

Consequences of unsafe driving in work zones

Local perspective:

"You shouldn't be driving distracted anyway, but pay even extra attention when you are in these particular areas, because you have got a lot of construction and vulnerable users in and around the roadway," says Austin Police Department Lt. Will White.

APD says the penalties drivers may face for not abiding by the traffic laws can be costly and, in some cases, land the driver behind bars.

"It could be over $1200 dollars if you are speeding through a construction zone. However if you are doing something that causes injury, such as distracted driving, say you are using an electronic device and injure somebody seriously or cause death. Depending on the circumstances, you can face anything from traffic fines all the way up to felony cases," said Lt. White.

Safety tips

What you can do:

TxDOT is reminding drivers that traffic fines double in work zones when workers are present and offers these tips for preventing crashes:

• Slow down. Follow the speed limit and pay attention to road conditions. What’s safe in normal conditions may not be safe in a work zone.
• Stay alert. Focus on driving, avoid distractions and put your phone away.
• Watch out for road crews. Roadside workers want to get home safely too. Always follow their instructions and be mindful of construction area road signs.
• Don’t tailgate. Give yourself room to stop in a hurry. Rear-end collisions are the most common type of workzone crash.
• Allow extra time. Road construction can slow things down. Plan so you aren’t tempted to speed.

TxDOT is also urging Texas motorists to follow the state’s Move Over or Slow Down law, which requires drivers to move over a lane or reduce their speed to 20 mph below the posted speed limit when approaching TxDOT, emergency, law enforcement, tow truck or utility vehicles stopped on the roadside with flashing lights activated.