[APRIL 8, 2006]
SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois Department of
Transportation Secretary Timothy W. Martin joined Illinois State
Police Director Larry Trent in urging motorists to use caution and
slow down in work zones as highway construction season officially
kicks off for this year. The Department of Transportation and
Illinois State Police are participating with the Laborer's
International Union in observing National Work Zone Safety Week,
which runs April 3-9.
"April is when highway construction really kicks into high gear, and
we need motorists to be watching out for and slowing down in our
work zones," Martin said. "Our goal is to protect the lives of both
the many dedicated workers out there trying to improve our highways,
as well as drivers and passengers traveling through work zones."
On average, there are 6,700 crashes in highway work zones in
Illinois every year, resulting in approximately 2,800 injuries. In
the fall of 2003, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich convened a Work Zone
Safety Task Force, which made a number of recommendations to improve
highway work zone safety, including better-defined and
more-consistent-looking work zones, stiffer penalties, and photo
enforcement of speed limits within work zones.
"The people working on these roads are our family," said Edward
M. Smith, vice president, regional manager and assistant to the
general president of Laborers International Union of North America.
"We're asking motorists to drive through work zones as if their sons
and daughters, mothers and fathers are working in these areas."
The state made progress in reducing the number of work-zone
fatalities in 2005, thanks in part to toughened work-zone speeding
fines and to a public education campaign mounted by the Department
of Transportation, Illinois State Police and their highway safety
partners. There were 26 fatalities in work zones in 2005, including
one worker. There were 38 work-zone fatalities in 2004, including
two workers, and 44 such fatalities in 2003, including five workers.
"We know that driving too fast for conditions is one of the
biggest contributors to crashes in general," said Trent, the police
director. "Driving too fast in the work zones further exacerbates an
already dangerous situation. In the next few weeks ISP will be
deploying our latest tools for bringing speed under control: our
photo speed enforcement vans."
The marked white vans are equipped with the latest in photo radar
technology designed to record the speed of vehicles and to capture
clear images of the driver and the license plate -- regardless of
the time of day or weather conditions. Tickets will be sent to
drivers by certified mail within six business days. Under the
toughened work-zone speeding fines that took effect last year,
first-time offenders face a $375 fine; second-time offenders face a
$1,000 fine and the loss of their driver's license for 90 days.
These vans are an additional state-of-the-art enforcement tool
that will be used to help reduce fatalities in work zones.
Motorists, as well as workers, are at risk when driving in work
zones, due to configurations that include narrower lanes, lane jogs
and dips, closed shoulders, and lane closures. Driving at slower
speeds allows motorists more time to react to changed conditions. At
least 85 percent of the fatalities in work zones involve motorists.
The vans will be staffed by specially trained state troopers and
used in work zones where workers are present, beginning in
northeastern Illinois within the next few weeks and downstate later
this year. Signs will be placed in project locations where photo
enforcement will be occurring. The troopers will also be responsible
for court appearances for the tickets.
On Friday, the Department of Transportation and the Laborers
International Union teamed up to host Work Zone Safety Week events
at rest areas throughout the state. Laborers and Department of
Transportation staff provided information about the importance of
slowing down in a highway work zone, enforcement and penalties. The
events were at rest areas near Bloomington, Springfield, Rockford,
Marion and in the Metro East region.
