GEORGIA PROMOTES WORK ZONE SAFETY

The Georgia Department of Transportation is currently implementing several ways to encourage motorists to be more careful when driving, particularly in GDOT construction work zones. The agency has installed “smart work zone” systems with message boards advising drivers of construction projects, traffic problems and congestion on highways.

In addition, GDOT work trucks are now equipped with bumper stickers reading, “Slow Down, It Won’t Kill You,” featuring the Coneman cartoon character. According to Emmanuella Myrthil, public relations specialist for the GDOT, such precautions are part of a commitment by GDOT to reduce fatality rates on Georgia roads. “Everything we do is safety oriented,” she said.

Myrthil said these measures are being employed for motorists as much as for GDOT workers, if not more so. “Most of the time, it’s travelers that are dying on the roads, not ... workers,” she said, adding that motorists account for three out of four deaths in GDOT work zones. She said it is important for motorists, when driving through work zones, to pay attention to construction signs and avoid tailgating.

“Expect the unexpected — flaggers, reduced speed limit signs and heavy machinery,” she said. Other safety enhancements the GDOT has been using in recent years include LED signals, for brighter illumination in direct sunlight or inclement weather, and thermoplastic striping as an alternative to painted strips on Georgia roads.

According to an Aug. 20 release issued by the GDOT, traffic fatalities on Georgia roads decreased about two percent between 2005 and 2006. GDOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl said the figures point to the department’s commitment to safety. “We are pleased about the decrease in fatalities,” he said. “Much remains to be done. One fatality is too many.”

Although many of the latest safety measures have yet to be implemented in Henry or Clayton, Georgia lawmakers have acted in recent years to protect motorists and GDOT workers. Georgia’s Move-Over Law, passed in 2003, requires motorists on Georgia highways to move over one lane when passing by a police car, emergency vehicle or GDOT crew. Georgia is one of 40 states to enact such a law, though few state move-over laws require drivers to shift lanes for road crews, according to Jim Shuler, spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.