Safety Campaign: Be Careful In Work Zones During Summer Travel
7 July 1998
National Radio Campaign Urges Motorist Caution In Work Zones During Summer TravelWASHINGTON, July 7 -- As a record number of families around the nation take vacation this summer, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is unveiling a national radio campaign calling on motorists to pay special attention and drive carefully through road construction sites. More than 700 people are killed and 37,000 people are injured in accidents at these sites each year. "Accidents in roadway construction zones are a serious public health problem," said ARTBA President & CEO Pete Ruane. "The safety of motorists and workers in highway work zones has been a long standing concern for the transportation construction industry. We must all work together to make them safer." In the ad, the narrator talks about the importance of improving the quality and safety of our roads. The William Tell Overture can be beard in the background. The narrator also asks drivers to help reduce accidents this summer by driving carefully and watching for the orange road signs marking construction sites. "Try to imagine working every day just a few feet away from traffic that is traveling up to 70 miles per hour. That's the unique work environment for highway construction workers," Ruane added. "Our radio campaign is designed to alert motorists this summer and ask for their help in reducing work zone accidents." The association has purchased time to run the radio spot throughout July in the following markets: San Diego and San Francisco, Calif.; Orlando, Fla.; Peoria and Springfield, Ill.; Lansing, Mich.; Kansas City, Mo.; Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; Seattle, Wash.; and Milwaukee, Wis. The ad has been sent to ARTBA's 35 state chapters for further placements across the nation. The ads are also being run to create awareness of the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, a cooperative venture between the Federal Highway Administration and ARTBA. The National Utility Contractors Association and the Institute for Transportation Engineers are marketing partners with ARTBA in promoting Clearinghouse products and services. The Clearinghouse provides transportation agencies, law enforcement departments, highway designers and contractors, labor unions, insurance companies, motor clubs and other interested parties with a wealth of information on how to make road construction zones safer for motorists, pedestrians and highway workers. The Clearinghouse can be reached via toll-free phone (1-888-447-5556), fax (409-845-7575), e-mail (workzone@tamu.edu), or on the Internet at http://wzsafety.tamu.edu. Established in 1902, ARTBA is the only U.S. trade association that exclusively represents the transportation construction industry. Its members include construction contractors, professional engineering firms, heavy equipment manufacturers, materials and traffic safety suppliers, firms specializing in public-private transportation ventures, more than 600 state and local government transportation entities and more than 50 universities.