With increased sunlight and warmer temperatures, construction activity in Arizona typically ramps up this time of year. Unfortunately, with that increased construction also comes an increase in Arizona work zone accidents.
The personal injury lawyers at Lerner and Rowe offer the following four safety tips to help you and the drivers in your household avoid Arizona work zone accidents. Please share them with your family and friends to keep everyone in Arizona safer and to celebrate National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), which takes place from April 15-19, 2024.
Why Do Arizona Work Zone Accidents Happen?
Construction projects increase the chances of drivers getting into all sorts of accidents. Most people associate work zone accidents with standard car wrecks, but there’s also a visible increase in motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents and more.
Some of the most common reasons for an increase in accidents during construction activity include:
- Additional debris on the road and sidewalks
- Drivers failing to reduce speeds around construction workers
- Distracted driving
- Drivers confused by or ignoring hazard signals
- Disruptions to normal traffic patterns
- Narrowed lanes leading to bottlenecking
Four Tips to Avoid Arizona Work Zone Accidents
Just because there’s increased risk involved during construction activity doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take to keep yourself (and other drivers) safe. Here are our top four tips to avoid Arizona work zone accidents:
- Slow Down Around Work Zones: Whether you’re driving, walking, or bicycling near or through a construction zone, it’s best to reduce your speed so that you can pay extra attention to your surroundings. If you’re driving, keep an eye out for any debris that could cause you to lose control of your vehicle. If you’re walking, look out for any objects or damaged surfaces that could cause a slip and fall injury.
- Turn Down Your Stereo: While listening to music is an important part of driving for many people, it’s best to reduce the volume or turn the sound system off completely while driving through work zones. Jackhammers and other heavy machinery can make listening difficult, which could cause you to miss indications of danger.
- Use Your GPS to Avoid Construction: The best way to avoid an Arizona work zone accident is by not driving through construction at all. Modern GPS systems, such as Waze or Apple CarPlay, do a great job of optimizing your route to avoid construction. Even if you’re going to a place you drive through frequently, using GPS can alert you to any construction sites along the way so that you can avoid them.
- Follow the Rules: This may seem like a no-brainer, but observe any posted speed limits in work zones and stay within the areas designated for driving by traffic cones. The speed limits and cones are there to help keep everyone in the work zone safe.
Contact Contact Lerner and Rowe
Lerner and Rowe hope that the safety tips above help you and your family avoid Arizona work zone accidents. Please share them with the drivers you know to keep everyone safe during National Work Zone Awareness Week and throughout the rest of the year. Should you get into a construction zone accident, then contact us for immediate assistance as well as a free case evaluation.
Our team is available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Give us a call at 602-977-1900 or connect with us online through LiveChat. Consultations are free and you do not pay any legal fees unless money is won on your behalf. With a proven track record of million-dollar results and providing stellar customer service, Lerner and Rowe is the way to go™.