MONTPELIER – The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) wants to remind motorist that at any one time there are hundreds of construction and road maintenance jobs in the state of Vermont, and that work zones are a common place where motor vehicle crashes happen.
Annually about 40,000 people nationwide were injured and about 1,000 killed in work-zone crashes.
Road workers are at risk in work zones, but the vast majority of injuries are to drivers who hit things like equipment or each other. More than half of Vermont work-zone crashes are rear-end collisions caused by drivers going too fast, tailgating or being distracted.
“People need to adopt a safety-conscious attitude while driving in work zones because that is the best defense against crashes,” said VTrans Secretary Neale Lunderville. “Drivers should stay alert, minimize distractions, keep a safe distance, use directional signals when changing lanes, and slow down.”
There is a great deal of work to be performed this summer along Vermont roadways. Motorist are reminded that in Vermont fines issued in a work zone are doubled.
During the 2007 Construction Season, State policy provided 775.75 hours of traffic safety enforcement for all state construction zones. State police reportedly stopped 1,069 vehicles, where 264 operators received Vermont Civil Violation Complaints (VCVC) for speeding and 61 operators were issued other motor vehicle offenses. Five operators also received “enhanced” fines for failing to wear seatbelts. Five additional operators were arrested for major motor vehicle offenses and 4 others were arrested for other non-motor vehicle offenses in the construction zone. 752 operators were also issued written warnings for various offenses, including speeding. State police issued 332 tickets, with fines totaling $57,564.00. The average ticket issued was $173.39.
For information about travel conditions Vermont motorists can use Vermont’s 511 travel information system. Using the system is easy: simply dial 511 from your phone or go to Web at www.511vt.com or www.511vt.org. If calling from your cell phone, make sure you are stopped, and out of harms way to you and others.
This system provides travel information about road conditions, weather, construction, major accidents, and any major delays that occur. This tool provides you with the most current information regarding what lies ahead during your travel, and makes you best equipped to plan accordingly.
The 511 system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is no charge to land-based callers, however, normal airtime and roaming charges will apply to wireless callers. It is recommended that users monitor the system frequently as weather and road conditions can change quickly.
