Two in five? Please, Give 'em a Brake

Just a few short weeks ago, we held our annual Worker's Memorial to honor  our fallen workers and remind everyone about the importance of work zone safety. This event leads into our Give 'em a Brake program, the marketing effort to encourage safe work zone driving.

The men and women working to improve your highways work just feet from live traffic, from inattentive drivers.

Two of those workers were hurt within five hours early May 5.

Just after midnight, a vehicle struck one of our trucks that was parked on southbound Interstate 5 just south of Interstate 90 in the Seattle area. The car then fled the scene. Less than five hours later, a vehicle hit another one of our trucks on I-5 in the Chehalis area. Both employees were taken to the hospital, but are okay.

What were these employees working on? The first was part of a striping crew, adding a fresh coat of reflective paint to make it easier for drivers to see the road. The second was sweeping the highway. They were both protected by truck-mounted attenuators (TMAs). You can see a photo of the damage done by one the cars here.

Our workers improve road conditions and expand roads, keeping traffic and the economy moving. Do your part – give 'em a brake. Slow down and pay attention when driving through a work zone. Find more work zone driving tips.