National Work Zone Awareness Week raises awareness of work zone safety

Annual safety campaign reminds roadway users to ‘Drive like you work here’

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (March 20, 2019) – The 19^th annual National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), happening April 8-12, 2019, will bring national attention to the importance of work zone safety. Each year during NWZAW, public agencies, organizations, and individuals across the country come together to advocate for the women and men who risk their lives in work zones each day to keep our roadways safe.

The national NWZAW media kickoff event will be held at the will be held at the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge on April 9, 2019, at 11 a.m. in Washington, D.C., hosted by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). The theme for NWZAW 2019 is “Work Zones: Drive Like You Work Here”. It aims to reminder people that it is critical to use extra caution in and around work zones, and that regardless of where you work, we all deserve to arrive home safely.

This year, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Deputy Acting Administrator Brandye Hendrickson will speak, as well as former Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program recipient Lyndsay Sutton, who lost her father in a work zone crash. More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

According to 2017 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 710 fatal work zone crashes and 799 work zone fatalities, including 132 worker fatalities, underscoring the importance of NWZAW’s mission.

In recent years, the engagement and participation in NWZAW has increased nationwide—with individuals showing their support through social media, hosting events, and participating in Go Orange Day, when advocates will wear orange on April 10 to spread the message of work zone safety.

“As we head into construction season, it is important to remember the individuals who work to keep our roadways safe while they risk being injured, or worse — being killed,” said ATSSA President & CEO Roger Wentz. “For nearly two decades, we have taken time to reflect, remember, and remind the country that roadway workers are there to keep you safe, and we must do all we can to drive in work zones safely. Extra precaution in and around work zones is key when it comes to moving Toward Zero Deaths on our nation’s roadways.”

Media interested in attending the national media kickoff event or media interviews can reach ATSSA at communications@atssa.com. To learn more about NWZAW, visit NWZAW.org, and share the message on social media using the hashtags #NWZAW and #Orange4Safety.