The warmer months of the year feature a high volume of street and highway construction in areas of the country where there is only a certain amount of time to get it all done before winter, when such work is impossible. Anyone who has ever lived in these areas understands the norms and has likely heard the jokes that include ‘road construction’ as one of the year’s seasons.
Unfortunately, a high amount of road construction when mixed with heavy traffic is no laughing matter. Some areas have reported a huge increase in accidents on their roads, most of which are occurring in construction zones. Officials have offered many reasons for this spike. According to an article published on KUTV.com in Salt Lake City:
“No matter where you go in Utah this summer, you’re bound to run into a construction zone. “It’s one of the busiest years UDOT has ever experienced,” said Adan Carrillo with the Utah Department of Transportation.
In fact right now, UDOT is working 280 projects across the state. And with all the construction, comes accidents.
This weekend, emergency crews responded to as many as seven crashes across the valley in construction zones, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
One of them in North Salt Lake at I-215 and Beck Street turned deadly when the driver of a tow truck shot across the barriers, and into oncoming traffi,c killing the driver of an SUV.
Troopers say it was all because the driver of the tow truck got distracted.
They say distracted drivers in construction zones are a big part of the cause of accidents.”
Clearly, the ‘common’ mistakes that drivers make on the open road are much more likely to lead to tragic results in these construction zones. If you or someone you love has been injured in an auto accident, you need to contact the Phillips National Injury Group today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Sun, Jun 14, 2009
Bus Accidents, Car Accidents, Construction Accidents, Train Accidents