Distracted drivers make roadside work dangerous in Greater Victoria

Imagine having vehicles pass within metres of your workspace.

That’s the reality for Rachel Camire, a traffic control person from Langford who works for Universal Group. She’s usually found at a roadside Cone Zone in Greater Victoria, putting herself at risk while directing traffic to keep workers – and drivers and their passengers – safe.

“I had nine people in one day run through my stop sign and two of them almost got hit by oncoming traffic,” says Camire.

Between 2013 and 2022 in BC, 9 roadside workers were killed and 239 were injured seriously enough to miss time from work, according to WorkSafeBC statistics.

“We’re still seeing far too many people being injured or killed,” says Trace Acres, Program Director for Road Safety at Work and spokesperson for the Cone Zone campaign, which promotes roadside worker safety. “Drivers have a responsibility to proceed safely through any kind of work zone to ensure that those workers can get home safely at the end of the day.”

Camire often sees driving behaviours that put workers and drivers at risk. “A lot of people are distracted,” she says. “They’re on their phones but also scrolling on their car’s digital screens, brushing their hair, concentrating on what they are eating, etc.”

Speeding is another culprit. Roadside workers are often protected only by a plastic orange cone that separates them from vehicles. “Vehicles that are going too quickly put those workers at risk of serious injury or death,” Acres explains.

Work zones are common in Greater Victoria year round. Changing weather conditions make them even more dangerous in fall and winter.

A roadside work zone is any area next to a road where a worker may be exposed to 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.

Orange cones are frequently used to alert drivers. Automated flagger assistance devices (AFADs) are becoming more common at work zones. They are remotely operated and have red and yellow traffic lights and an arm with a fluorescent orange or red flag.

When approaching an AFAD:

• Stop at least 1 car length away 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.

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

BC law requires drivers to:

• Slow down and drive with care
• Pay attention and leave your phone alone
• Obey road signs, traffic control devices, and traffic control people

In addition, BC’s Slow Down, Move Over law applies when vehicles in the work zone have flashing amber, red or blue lights (tow, fire, police). Drivers are required to reduce speed below the posted limit, as follows:

Slow Down Move Over also requires you to move over on a multi-lane road to increase the space between your vehicle and the work zone, if it’s safe to do so. “Make sure you’re giving those workers room to work and not putting them in any kind of danger,” Acres says.

Not following the rules can be costly. The typical fines in BC for work zone violations include:

• Failing to follow the Slow Down Move Over law: $173 and 3 points
• Using an electronic device while driving: $368
• Speeding: $196 and up
• Disobeying a traffic control device: $121
• Disobeying a traffic control person: $196

Camire and her fellow traffic control people are trained and certified in BC. Their expertise deserves respect and patience.

“I’ve had someone get out of their vehicle and issue threats at me. Some yell at me or slam their steering wheel or dashboard in anger and frustration,” she says. “I understand that people can get frustrated but we’re just doing our job, trying to manage traffic. We really don’t want to keep them stopped for any longer than is necessary.”

For more information on driving safely in work zones, and on what employers can do to help keep roadside workers safe, visit ConeZoneBC.com.

For tips on driving safely at work, visit RoadSafetyAtWork.ca.

Media contact

Gord Woodward, Communications manager
Road Safety at Work
250-734-3652
gwoodward@roadsafetyatwork.ca