MoDOT sees surge in work zone crashes

A sign cautions road work ahead Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, along the side of an on-ramp merging onto U.S. 54. (News Tribune photo)
A sign cautions road work ahead Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, along the side of an on-ramp merging onto U.S. 54. (News Tribune photo)

The Missouri Department of Transportation is dealing with a "surge in work zone crashes despite decreased traffic volumes," according to a Tuesday news release.

As of this week there have been 39 truck/trailer-mounted attenuators hit in work zones across the state this year, MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna said in the news release. That compares with 19 over the same time in 2019.

Attenuators are giant, crushable shock absorbers that absorb momentum and reduce the force of the impact. They are put out so damage to drivers and vehicles involved is lessened.

"We've had a 100 percent increase in TMA hits at a time when traffic on Missouri roads has decreased by nearly 50 percent for much of the year due to the pandemic," McKenna said. "That's not only an overwhelming figure, it's also completely avoidable with appropriate driver attention."

McKenna wants to remind drivers they face serious consequences if they do get involved in a work zone crash.

Since 2012, Missouri's Slow Down and Move Over law requires motorists to slow down and change lanes when approaching MoDOT vehicles or law enforcement and emergency vehicles with lights flashing. Failure to do so is a Class A misdemeanor and can result in fines and/or imprisonment.

Another work zone safety measure was signed last year by Gov. Mike Parson.

"Lyndon's Law" allows authorities to revoke the driver's license of anyone who hits a highway or utility worker in a work zone or an emergency responder in an emergency zone. The measure was named after Lyndon Ebker, a 30-year MoDOT employee who was hit and killed in a Franklin County work zone by a distracted driver in 2016.

"Operating a motor vehicle - whether it is an 18-wheel commercial transport or the family sedan - is a full-time job," McKenna said. "Road conditions can change in a heartbeat. We don't want that heartbeat to be the last - either for you or our workers."