ATSSA: Improving Driver Behavior with Infrastructure Safety Countermeasures

17 American Traffic Safety Services Association • www.atssa.com CASE 11: In Work Zones T he safety of all motorists and roadway workers must be considered while roadways are under construction. Infrastructure safety improvements can help minimize worker exposure to vehicles outside of the work zone, and other improvements can also be applied inside the work zone to enhance worker visibility for drivers. To minimize worker exposure, longitudinal barriers provide a continual separation area between the travel lanes and the work zone. An errant vehicle that strikes the barrier is safely redirected back into the travel lane, thereby preventing an intrusion into the work zone. These temporary barriers are also movable, Figure 29. Longitudinal channelizers in Adair Village, Ore. (Image: Plastic Safety Systems Inc.) Figure 30. A road worker in a retroreflective vest and hard hat, Manassas, Va. (Image: James Scott Baron, ATSSA) so they can be deployed as necessary in response to changing traffic patterns or conditions throughout the work zone. They are made of concrete or plastic, capable of being filled with water to add weight and stability. Positive guidance can also be provided to motorists when work-zone personnel wear light-colored clothing, hard hats, and—most importantly—retroreflective garments to improve visibility in both day and nighttime conditions. Construction and maintenance equipment can be made more visible with bright paint colors, conspicuity tape, lights, or retroreflective materials. In addition, backup alarms increase both road-user and worker awareness of work-zone vehicles. ■