Today kicks off the 2025 National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW). In 2022, the last year for which statistics are available, 891 people died in work zones, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In that same year, 94 highway worker occupational fatalities occurred in road construction sites, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Both commercial motor vehicle (CMV) and passenger vehicle drivers need to be extra careful while traveling through work zones. CMV involvement in non-work zone fatal crashes have consistently involved 10-13% of all fatal crashes over time. But when it comes to work zones, CMVs are involved in more than 30% of fatal work zone crashes on urban interstates and more than 50% percent on rural interstates. CMV involvement is also higher than overall trends in fatal work zone crashes on other roadway types.
With road repairs, maintenance, and construction now in full swing, here are some tips for traveling safely through work zones.
