For drivers

Roadside work zones (also known as Cone Zones) present unique challenges for drivers. You have a role to play in keeping workers and yourself safe when you drive through work zones — including slowing down, paying attention, and following signs and instructions. Use our resources to learn the laws and best safety practices for driving in work zones.

How to recognize a roadside work zone

A roadside work zone is any area next to a road where a worker may be exposed to the hazards of moving vehicles. It can be fixed in one place, such as a construction site or the area around a tow truck picking up a stranded vehicle. Or it can be mobile work, such as mowing, line painting or garbage and recycling collection.

These types of work sites involve hundreds of activities. Tens of thousands of BC residents work in these zones every day, including municipal workers, landscapers, traffic control persons, tow truck drivers, road construction and maintenance workers, telecommunications and utility workers, and emergency and enforcement personnel. 

Every one of them deserves to get home safe and healthy. You and your passengers do too.

You can often recognize a work zone by its bright orange cones, signs, devices, and traffic control persons. But not all work zones use cones. They may use barriers like barrels and fences, rumble strips, electronic signs, and reflectors instead.

And not all roadside workers are protected by work zone barriers. For example, paramedics treat patients who have been hurt on or near roads. Without any protective barriers, they need drivers to give them as much space and consideration as possible.

A work zone extends from the first traffic control device you can see to the last one you can see. It can be hundreds of metres long, or only extend several metres around a work vehicle parked at the roadside. It may be in place for weeks or just for a few hours. In all cases, you’re responsible for obeying all driving instructions and sharing the road safely.

Watch for automated flagger assistance devices (AFADs)

You may encounter an automated flagger assistance device (AFAD) on BC roadways. They’re becoming more common at work zones because they help keep you and roadside workers safe while effectively managing traffic.

AFADs are portable equipment with highly visible signs that are remotely operated by traffic control persons. They have red and yellow traffic lights and a gate arm that moves up and down with a fluorescent orange or red flag. You’ll see them on 2-lane, 2-way roads, and on multi-lane roads that have been reduced to 1 lane.

Stop at least one car length from the AFAD when the arm is down and the light is either solid yellow or red. Don’t proceed even if there is no oncoming traffic.

Drive ahead only when the light switches to flashing yellow and the gate arm is fully raised.

Work zones are risky for workers and drivers

Think about the workplace you go to every day. Now, imagine cars and trucks whizzing by within just a few metres of you. That’s how vulnerable roadside workers are. Sometimes, orange cones are the only things separating their work site from moving vehicles weighing several tonnes.

How you drive in work zones can be the difference between workers staying safe on the job, or suffering an injury or being killed. Going too fast, or driving distracted or aggressively, can cause rear-end collisions and other crashes. And, if you’re not paying attention, you could hit or be hit by vehicles and equipment working in the zone.

According to WorkSafeBC statistics, 9 roadside workers were hit by a vehicle and killed in BC from 2013 to 2022. Another 239 people were injured seriously enough to miss work. Drivers and their passengers were also hurt.

Every worker is someone’s parent, child, friend, neighbour, or co-worker.

Work zone driving tips

When you approach a work zone, drive like a loved one or a close friend works there. Even if you’re briefly delayed, remember that those delays are necessary to help keep roadside workers safe.

Workers report speeding and distracted drivers as the dangerous behaviour they see the most. There’s a lot going on around you: shifting traffic patterns, uneven or narrow road surfaces, sudden stops, lane changes, and traffic control devices and persons.

The rules for driving safely in a work zone are easy to remember.

• Always slow down: Reduce speed as soon as you see work zone signs.
• Pay attention: Get off your phone. Distracted driving can have fatal consequences.
• Follow instructions: Traffic control persons or devices such as temporary road signs will guide you. Get to know the work zone signs.

Some other tips to follow:

Test your knowledge by taking our Driving in a Work Zone Quiz.

Work zone tips for commercial drivers

Large blind spots, long stopping distances, and narrow lanes make work zones particularly challenging for large trucks and buses.

As you approach lane closures, check your blind spots and move into the open lane as soon as possible. Help prevent rear-end crashes by obeying speed limits, avoiding distractions, and maintaining extra space between your vehicle and the one in front of you.

If you need to suddenly slow down or stop, use your emergency flashers to alert drivers behind you.

Learn more about driving for work and winter driving for commercial carriers.

Understanding work zone signs

Work zone signs warn drivers of upcoming roadside sites and changes in traffic patterns. Drivers need to pay attention to the warnings and follow instructions on the signs and readerboards. Here’s what the signs tell you.

Resources