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Editor's Notes
"We Can't
Do It Alone"
Two articles in our
May/June 1999 issue were about safety in work-zones. This is a continual
problem. Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Bradley L. Mallory calls
it an epidemic.
The following remarks were made by Mallory on June 11, 1999, at a ceremony
in Union County, Pa., honoring Marvin Aunkst, a Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation (PennDOT) worker, who saved the life of a young trucker
in a work-zone crash.
"[At 8:15 a.m. on May 10, the truck driver] guesses he just dozed
off as he entered the work zone. His big rig slammed into the rear of
our crash protection truck [and] ... caused an explosion ... as one of
the fuel tanks on the rig ruptured.
"[The other members of the crew dove for cover over the guardrail,
but Marvin, who was on the bridge deck, had to try to run across the bridge
to safety.] The flaming truck ... struck him in the back, throwing him
onto the engine compartment, as the truck continued another 75 feet before
coming to a stop.
"He was hurting, but that didn't stop him from putting aside his
own injuries as he heard the truck driver yelling for help. ... Marvin
jumped down off the engine compartment, got the door open, and helped
the trucker to safety - by all accounts, saving his life.
"Incidents like [this one], and thousands more across Pennsylvania
during each construction season, have got to stop!
"Last year, motorists in Pennsylvania were involved in more than
2,000 crashes in highway work zones. Nineteen people were killed, and
1,848 of you were injured. ... As far as I'm concerned, even one death
is too many.
"Motorists must start paying attention when approaching and driving
through highway construction and maintenance work zones.
"Park it if you haven't had sufficient sleep. Too many drivers are
getting behind the wheel and literally falling asleep, often with deadly
consequences.
"Trucking companies, ... make your drivers as safe as they can be,
and don't push them to the brink of exhaustion.
"If you have a cell phone, pull over if you want to use it in your
vehicle.
"Avoid alcohol when driving.
"Follow the posted speed limit. Those few extra moments you may gain
by speeding aren't worth the risk of having a crash. Over 32 percent of
all fatal work-zone crashes involve speeding.
"When you've got your hands on the wheel and you're traveling along
at 65 miles an hour, or even 35 miles an hour, stop daydreaming or doing
anything other than driving. [About] 82 percent of work-zone crashes are
caused by some form of driver error, including speeding.
"Leave plenty of room between you and the car or truck in front of
you. If there is an emergency, it'll give you time to react. Over 40 percent
of crashes in work zones are rear-end collisions.
"And every time you and your passengers hit the road, buckle up.
It's the simplest, most effective way to avoid serious injury or death
if you are involved in a crash.
"By the way, the trucker who injured our workers on I-80 last month
is facing several criminal charges.
"But that's not what we want. We want every driver to travel safely
through work zones. We want ... every construction worker ... to be able
to go home at the end of the day to their families safe and sound.
"But we can't do it alone. Each and every one of us must take our
driving seriously, as seriously as if someone's life depends on it. BECAUSE
IT DOES!"
Mallory offers sound, common sense advice that reemphasizes that despite
federal and state efforts to ensure safety, those efforts are somewhat
negated if drivers don't cooperate and drive safely. We can't do it alone.
Bob Bryant
Editor
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