Editorial: Slow down, show appreciation during road work season
Orange cone season is nigh.
It’s time for work crews to fill potholes, resurface roads and complete a litany of other repair and improvement projects.
It’s also time for drivers to sit and wait.
Although the delays may feel frustrating, motorists need to keep in mind that the work is for our benefit – something to keep roads safe for everyone.
On its website, the state Department of Transportation issues a number of tips for work zone driving.
They are all common sense.
Anyone who needs a “tip” to pay attention to flaggers, maintain a safe distance from other vehicles, or avoid distractions should not have a driver’s license.
Oh, and PennDOT’s list of tips notes drivers shouldn’t speed in construction zones.
Duh.
What’s gained from putting the pedal to metal? Is getting to your destination a few minutes earlier worth injuring or killing someone on the road work crew?
If that’s not enough of a reason to slow down, how about losing your license, paying doubled fines for speeding in an active work zone, and facing possible jail time.
Going 11 mph over the posted speed limit, getting in a crash, or failing to drive at a safe speed all equal a 15-day license suspension.
Those who are convicted of homicide by vehicle for killing someone in an active work zone crash can receive an additional five years in prison.
Between 2013 and 2023, 188 people were killed in work zones, and last April, a box truck killed three construction workers on Interstate 83 in York County.
The box truck hit a construction vehicle. That vehicle hit and killed three construction workers, including a 24-year-old from Somerset and a 42-year-old from Meyersdale.
While it’s not listed on PennDOT’s website, we’d like to offer one final road work season “tip”: Exercise patience, kindness and thanks.
The men and women who are out there doing work on our roadways are doing it for all motorists, and they find no joy in making drivers frustrated.
Instead of griping and grousing, give them a wave of thanks.
Or better yet, when you’re stopped, put your window down and tell them you appreciate the work they do.