Herb Monsalud has one simple message for Delaware drivers who speed through work zones.
"Slow down, I want to go home to be with my family."
Monsalud addressed legislators, Delaware Department of Transportation employees and others during a National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week event held Wednesday afternoon at DE Turf Sports Complex near Frederica.
As an employee in DelDOT's Engineering Department, Monsalud is in work zones up and down the state. He said a day doesn't go by when he doesn't see a crash or close call.
"Drivers don't always slow down or are looking at the construction going on in the work zone, so they sometimes aren't paying attention to the road," said the father of three children, who is one of the faces of a DelDOT work zone media campaign. "I see accidents all of the time, and they can be avoided."
Since 1933, there have been 33 DelDOT employees killed in work zones.
The last fatality involving a DelDOT employee or contractor occurred in 2016 when a highway worker positioning cones ahead of a project was hit on the Brandywine River Bridge south of U.S. 202.
According to the latest data available from the Federal Highway Administration, nationally there were 1,212 roadway construction worker fatalities from 2005 to 2014, which is about 121 a year.
Although highway workers are often among the victims of work zone crashes, drivers or their passengers are injured 4 out of 5 times, data shows.
Since 2012, there have been 1,135 crashes in Delaware work zones, including six deaths. After seeing a decline in work zone accidents in 2014 and 2015, crashes in the past two years have increased dramatically (284 accidents, including three deaths in 2016; 301 accidents and one fatality in 2017).
That concerns Delaware Gov. John Carney and Department of Transportation Secretary Jennifer Cohan. Both said more needs to be done to keep DelDOT employees and contractors safe in work zones.
Carney has proclaimed April to be Delaware Work Zone Safety Awareness Month.
"One of my responsibilities as governor is making sure each of our employees goes home to their families every day," he said Wednesday. "As Delaware continues to invest nearly $4 billion in infrastructure over the next six years, we need everyone to slow down and pay careful attention to keep work zones safe."
Sgt. Richard Bratz, Delaware State Police director of public information, said that of the 301 work zone crashes in 2017, 38 were due to inattentive drivers, with 31 percent of the crashes caused by motorists rear-ending the vehicle in front of them.
Bratz said that DSP and law enforcement statewide are doing their part to ensure work zone safety. He said every time a vehicle enters a work zone, motorists are entering a "Higher Fine Zone" where any traffic violations are subject to fines that are doubled.
Since 2013, Bratz said that all Delaware law enforcement agencies have issued 3,637 work zone-related citations.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, a work zone crash occurred every 5.4 seconds in 2015, with 70 work zone crashes occurring each day resulting in at least one injury. And every week in 2015, 12 work zone crashes occurred that resulted in at least one fatality.
Cohan said that while the presence of work zones might create temporary hassles for motorists, they are vital to the safety and efficiency of those who travel through Delaware.
"There are thousands of workers in our work zones up and down the state. We want to make sure we tell our workers how important their safety is," she said. "We must do everything in our power to protect them and ensure they make it home to their loved ones each day."
Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.
By the numbers in Delaware
- 301 - Delaware work zone accidents in 2017
- 1,135 - Delaware work zone accidents since 2012
- 6 - Delaware work zone fatalities since 2017
- 3 - Number of work zone fatalities in 2016
- 33 - Number of DelDOT employees killed in work zones since 1933
Source: Delaware Department of Transportation
DelDOT work zone safety tips
- When you see the orange and black, be extra cautious.
- Avoid distractions.
- Don't tailgate.
- Don't change lanes.
- Slow down and expect the unexpected.
- Warning signs will let you know what to expect.
- Barrels or cones will delineate your path of travel.
- Flag persons will help direct you.