Road construction crews are a common sight during the summer months. Many of the busiest streets and interstates see occasional repair, update or expansion projects. Road construction helps maintain infrastructure, which can ultimately reduce the risk of a crash.
Ensuring that intersections and busy portions of freeways can accommodate high traffic volumes during rush hour may reduce the likelihood of collisions occurring on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the construction work itself might temporarily increase the possibility of a crash occurring.
Why does road construction correlate to increased collision risk?
Construction crews are a distraction
Many times, road crews only work for a certain number of hours a day. Many people pass through construction sites when they are empty. However, when there are road crews at work, it can be hard not to gawk at them. The heavy equipment that they use, combined with their high-visibility clothing, can make it hard to remain focused on traffic instead of on the workers improving the road. People who become distracted might not notice traffic slowing or stopping in front of them, which is one reason why rear-end crashes are particularly common near road work.
People don’t know how to zipper merge
Another common reason that road work correlates to crash risk is the practice of closing lanes. Busy streets and interstates may have to filter down to a single lane of moving traffic. Those driving in the closed lane have to merge into the open lane. Frequently, drivers become overly aggressive and try to merge where there isn’t space. Other times, motorists may refuse to allow others to merge, triggering preventable collisions. The restrictions on the flow of traffic near construction sites contribute to collision risk.
Delays can lead to aggressive driving
Active road work often translates to longer drive time. Slowdowns and the need to merge may leave traffic in a gridlock for miles in some cases. Drivers dealing with a significant increase in their travel time may become agitated and aggressive. They may cut others off or make other decisions in traffic that lead to preventable collisions.
Ideally, drivers can plan their routes carefully to minimize how much time they spend in close proximity to road crews. If a road work area collision does occur, motorists may need help pursuing justice. Filing an insurance claim or even a lawsuit may be necessary for those involved in motor vehicle collisions if they want to recover their losses.
