Highway Construction Season Is Here- Take Safety Along For The Ride

Getting back and forth to work may involve greater hazards than those we face on the job now that Orange Barrel Season has arrived.

While many of us take comfort in the fact that we can drive on autopilot- as long as we have had the first cup of coffee before inserting the ignition keys– the fact is that we need to be on the alert for changes that just might put us at greater risk than anything that we might face on the job.

Excavations, construction workers, construction equipment, and high horsepower vehicles are all hazards that might ‘ambush us’ now that Orange Barrel Season is upon us and in full swing.

I have a half mile of orange barrels after turning out of my neighborhood onto the state road- not even a quarter mile from my driveway.

“Safety First”  in Orange Barrel Season means being on the lookout for driving hazards  “Before getting to work!”

Four of every five victims in a work zone crash are motorists, not highway workers, which is why it is particularly important for drivers to remain alert while driving through work zones. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has taken steps in the past several years to improve work zone design, strengthen enforcement near work zones, and heighten awareness among drivers for bringing the number of work zone fatalities to record lows.

Orange Barrel season is the opposite of Hunting Season.

“It’s a bad outcome if you “bag one!”

FHWA Statistic

Orange Barrel Season

Damaged Orange Barrel