Press Release  Ahead of National Work Zone Awareness Week: Slow Down in Work Zones

BOSTON — Ahead of National Work Zone Awareness Week and as construction season gets underway, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Massachusetts State Police, and AAA are reminding motorists to exercise caution when passing through active construction and maintenance projects. This includes following traffic laws, reducing speed as indicated by signage and as necessary to prevent a crash, and remaining alert when passing through active construction and maintenance projects.

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an annual event that brings attention to work zone safety and education around preventing crashes and fatalities in these areas. MassDOT promotes work zone safety throughout the year, to help protect the men and women who work on the roads. 

“Here in Massachusetts and across the country, construction workers risk their lives every day to build and maintain the roads we all rely on,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “We owe it to them—and their families—to do our part. When driving through a work zone, slow down, stay alert, and be aware of your surroundings. Protecting workers from injury or tragedy isn’t just a seasonal responsibility—it’s something we all must commit to, every time we get behind the wheel.”

“National Work Zone Awareness Week serves as a critical reminder that work zone safety is a shared responsibility. Recent worker fatalities and injuries in Massachusetts and nationwide are a somber reminder of the real dangers that highway workers face every day,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “Drivers must slow down, stay alert, and follow traffic laws to protect the men and women working on our roadways. Work zone safety isn’t just a one-week focus—it’s a year-round commitment to ensuring everyone gets home safely to the families.”

"Safety on our roads is a shared responsibility and everyone who operates a vehicle needs to do their part to help prevent a crash," said Registrar of Motor Vehicles Colleen Ogilvie. “All motorists need to respect the speed limit requirements and eliminate distractions behind the wheel, so that road construction crews and other vulnerable individuals can get home safe at the end of the day. ” 

“As we mark Work Zone Awareness Week, the women and men of the Massachusetts State Police are grateful for the opportunity to serve the Commonwealth and ensure the safety of those working on our state roads,” said Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble. “The greatest danger facing those working on highways is not repairing a pothole, building a bridge, changing a tire, or helping a disabled vehicle. The greatest danger these workers confront is a driver not paying attention or operating while impaired. We’re asking everyone to do their part to end all work zone crashes.”

"Slow down and move over for all vehicles at the roadside, curb your speed in work zones, and don't drive distracted," said Christina Hayman, Senior Manager of Government Affairs for AAA Northeast. "It is critical to provide a safe buffer zone for emergency workers, utility vehicles, tow trucks and individuals like all of us who may be waiting for help on the roadside - it can save a life."

Contractors involved in road projects in the United States report frequent crashes in work zones. Sixty-four percent of highway contractors report that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, putting motorists and workers at risk, according to the results of a highway work zone study released in May of 2024 and conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America and HCSS. 

Meanwhile, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST), 4,319 people were killed in work zone crashes in the United States between 2018 and 2022 (NHTSA, 2024). The number of work zone fatalities has grown from 757 fatalities in 2018 to 891 in 2022, an 18 percent increase.

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