A recent survey from the Associated General Contractors of America highlighted how frequently work zone vehicle accidents are occurring, how many people are getting injured and what contractors want done about it.
In the survey, done in partnership with software provider HCSS, 60% of contractors said a motor vehicle accident had occurred on one of their highway work zones in the past 12 months. That marks a 4% decrease from last year's survey but a 5% increase over the 2023 results.
Nearly one-third of contractors said five or more crashes had occurred on their jobsites in the last year.
Among the incidents experienced by surveyed contractors, drivers remained more likely to be injured than workers. Over 70% of contractors said the accidents they’d experienced had resulted in at least one injured driver (26% reported five or more injured drivers), while 30% reported injuries to their employees.
That trend continued with fatalities, with 24% of contractors reporting driver deaths from accidents, while 13% reported worker fatalities.
Speaking during the webinar announcing the survey’s results, Jeff Shoaf, CEO of AGC, highlighted the association’s efforts to improve relevant data collection and safety training to reduce these numbers.
“The bottom line is that too few drivers see the need to slow down and pay attention in work zones, because too few states have made work zone safety a top priority,” said Shoaf. “That's why AGC of America is pushing Congress to require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to collect comprehensive data on work zone crashes, including who was killed or injured in those crashes, and the agency should require states to develop behavioral solutions to reduce crashes in highway work zones.”
Aside from injury and loss of life, contractors also reported the crashes had impacted the progress of their projects. The survey found 60% of contractors had experienced some kind of delay from accidents, with 14% reported delays of five days or more.
Compared to one year ago, contractors were roughly split on how the risk of accidents has changed over time. Results showed 51% of contractors believed the risk was about the same as last year, while 47% said the risk had increased.
Additionally, 35% of contractors said the frequency of work zone crashes at night had risen compared to 12 months ago, while 63% said there had been no change. Those who experienced increased night crashes cited these reasons: distracted driving (84% of contractors), speeding (78%) and impaired driving (65%).
Only 13% of contractors said the current penalties for driving violations in work zones were sufficient. Another 36% said the penalties were not severe enough, and 39% said the enforcement of the penalties was insufficient.
Regarding deterrence of work zone incidents, 43% of contractors said police presence and speeding cameras were helping, while 33% said they were not working. Another 25% were not sure.
When picking from a list of measures that could possibly reduce the number of highway work zone crashes, injuries and fatalities, the most selected option (by 80% of respondents) was greater police presence at highway work zones. This was followed by stricter enforcement of existing laws in work zones (70%), stricter laws against cellphone usage and distracted driving in work zones (66%) and closing roads and detouring traffic (59%). Only 1% of contractors said that no new measures were needed.
