If New Jersey residents can count on anything, it is that road construction is an inevitable part of life in this state, but these construction zones are often hotbeds for car crashes and associated injuries. There are numerous factors that collectively add to your crash risk anytime you make your way through a construction zone in New Jersey, so, when possible, it may serve you well to try and avoid them.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, more than 96,600 construction zone crashes took place on the nation’s roads in 2015. This is a sharp increase from two years prior, when 67,887 work zone crashes occurred on U.S. roads, and it implies that work zones are becoming increasingly common and dangerous places to drive.
Part of the danger associated with construction zones stems from the road work, itself, which sometimes involves obstructions in the roadway or unfamiliar or unclear traffic patterns and detours that can confuse drivers. The negligence of other drivers is also a frequent factor in construction zone crashes, with alcohol and speed noted as factors in 25 and 28 percent of all fatal work zone crashes that occurred in 2014, respectively.
Furthermore, while work zones are hazardous for construction workers as well as those traveling through them, the vast majority of those who lose their lives in construction zone crashes are drivers and passengers in cars. In fact, in 2014, 2 percent of the nation’s road fatalities resulted from construction zone crashes.
This information is educational in nature and is not a substitute for legal advice.