Roadside worker asks drivers to put phones away in work zones
“About once a week I experience a near miss”
Tens of thousands of British Columbians work along the roadside around the province. Like most of them, Chad Barnett is on high alert every day for distracted and aggressive drivers passing within metres of his workplace.
“I get a knot in my stomach,” says the TELUS worker. “About once a week I experience a near miss. It’s horrendous.”
Roadside workers are involved in more than just road construction and highway maintenance. They’re also landscapers, municipal workers, tow truck operators, utility workers, emergency and enforcement personnel, waste collectors, and others.
“These workers put themselves in danger to help keep roads safe and provide needed services for all of us,” says Trace Acres, Program Director for Road Safety at Work and spokesperson for the Cone Zone campaign. “We can repay them by slowing down, putting away our phones, and paying attention to traffic instructions. Our driving decisions affect their lives.”
Roadside workers face the risk of being struck by a vehicle every day. In the last decade in BC, 9 workers were killed and 239 injured seriously enough to be off work, according to WorkSafeBC statistics.
The Cone Zone campaign, overseen by the Work Zone Safety Alliance and managed by Road Safety at Work, aims to reduce the risk of injury or death in work zones.
Flag persons ‘regularly’ have to jump out of the way
Barnett, based in Williams Lake, has worked at the roadside for more than 10 years across the Cariboo-Chilcotin. He spends most of his time installing or replacing poles and cabling, and doing maintenance and emergency repairs. Bright orange cones and other traffic control devices are often all that stand between him and vehicles weighing thousands of tonnes.
“I feel frustrated that drivers put me and my team at risk,” he says. “It’s shocking how many drivers don’t follow the rules of the road.”
Aggressive and speeding drivers, and people on their phones, are common in work zones. Barnett estimates 70% to 80% of drivers passing by him are using their phones, despite it being against the law and a huge safety risk.
“Flaggers regularly have to jump out of the way,” Barnett says. “Just last week, when a speeding driver was on their phone and flagged to slow down, the driver got out of the car and argued with the flagger.”
Slow down, move over, put away phone to reduce risk
Drivers can put themselves and their passengers at risk too.
“If I’m suspending a 1,000-pound pole and you hit my truck, the pole could fall and smash right through your vehicle,” Barnett notes.
To help keep everyone safe in a work zone, the Alliance offers the following tips:
Know before you go
Check DriveBC.ca and your local municipality for road reports before setting out. Where possible, adjust your route to avoid roadside work zones.
Put away your phone and reduce speed
Slowing down gives you and drivers behind you more time to react if necessary.
Pay attention
Watch for temporary road signs, traffic cones, and directions given by traffic control persons. Make eye contact with the traffic control person and stop at least three metres away from them.
Follow the Slow Down and Move Over law
It applies when there are vehicles with red, blue, or amber flashing lights in a work zone. Move into the next lane if one is available and it is safe to do so, to create as much space as possible between your vehicle and the work zone.
Fines for unsafe driving in a Cone Zone start at $196 for speeding. They go up to $368 for using a phone or other electronic device while driving.
“I can tell when drivers have done some sort of work along the roads because of their safer driving,” says Barnett. “When drivers drive safely, I feel safe.”
For more tips on driving in work zones, visit ConeZoneBC.com.
Media contact
Gord Woodward, Communications manager
Road Safety at Work
250-734-3652
gwoodward@roadsafetyatwork.ca