More than 50 people died in work zones crashes on Georgia highways last year, and state officials are urging motorists to stay alert.
The Georgia Department of Transportation said work zones fatalities more than doubled between 2014 and 2017, when 55 people died. Another 52 people died in work zone accidents in 2018, the agency said last week.
GDOT made the announcement as part of Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, a national effort to remind motorists to take care when driving along roads where construction, repaving and other work is being done. According to the Federal Highway Administration, fatal work zone crashes nationwide rose 32 percent from 2013 to 2017, when 799 people died.
Last year, there were 27,235 crashes in Georgia work zones, resulting in 8,928 injuries.
GDOT says no workers died in work zone accidents last year in Georgia. But 60 GDOT employees have died in work zone incidents since 1973.
The agency urged motorists to slow down in work zones, to refrain from tailgating, to obey road crew flaggers and pay attention to road signs. For more tips on driving in work zones, visit www.dot.ga.gov.
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