This audio is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any comments.
Nile Elam is vice president of government affairs for the National Asphalt Pavement Association. The opinions are the author’s own.
America’s 4 million miles of highways drive our economy and connect our communities. But building and maintaining them takes a human toll that we should not accept.
A a work area crash occurs in the US approximately every five minutes, according to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse. More than 100 people are injured daily in these incidents and around 17 die each week.
For the men and women who build and maintain our nation’s highways, this level of risk is unacceptable, but all too common. And they are not the only ones at risk. Indeed, drivers and passengers are responsible around 80% of fatalities in work areas.
Some hazards to life are unavoidable, but these accident, injury and death rates are intolerable, especially since many of these incidents are preventable with the right policy and careful implementation.
Nile Elam
Authorization granted by the National Asphalt Flooring Association
Lawmakers have noticed. The bipartisan Jobs and Infrastructure Investment Act of 2021 established the Work Area Security Contingency Fund to support a number of security measures. Congress has also held hearings to address the issue, including last year’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transportation. hearing on road safetywhere President David Rouzer, RN.C., and others called for action.
“Our application can discourage reckless driving in work zones, but we can also look at ways to better design work zones and related traffic patterns to reduce these incidents,” Rouzer said at the February 2025 hearing.
Work area awareness week
Industry leaders have long driven progress. This week celebrates 26th National Work Zone Awareness Weeka campaign advanced by industry partners and transport agencies to promote safe driving in work zones. Industrial groups have also been formed National Coalition for Safety in the Work Zone to encourage lawmakers to take action.
Collectively, we are taking steps in the right direction, but we need to do more—and quickly—because progress has not kept up with the problem. About three in five highway contractors reported in 2024 that they owned a vehicle they crashed into their work areas last year
The way forward for workplace safety
Fortunately, 2026 is a monumental year for transport policy. Congress is working to reauthorize the surface transportation bill, creating a clear opportunity to turn rhetoric into action.
As lawmakers craft this year’s bill, work zone safety must be a top priority, especially because there are practical, bipartisan actions to take:
- Advance the Law for the prevention of deaths on roads and work zones.
- Reinforce tools such as the Work Area Security Contingency Fund.
- Invest in proven safety measures, from law enforcement presence to driver education programs to modern traffic control technologies.
The WZSCF itself exemplifies both progress and a missed opportunity for work zone safety. Although these funds are available to all 50 states, very few have used them. The intention of the policy is correct, but the implementation needs to improve.
Work area safety is a shared responsibility. Policy makers must set strong standards. Agency officials must implement them. Enforcement must ensure compliance. The sector must continue to innovate and apply best practices. And, fundamentally, drivers must stay alert and slow down. We all have a role to play.
This year, as Congress works on reauthorizing the highway bill, National Work Zone Awareness Week needs to be more than talk. This is a time for action. Lawmakers should include these practical reforms in this year’s bill, and voters should clarify why they matter.
The solutions are within reach. It’s time to catch them.
