Study IDs Work Zone Risks

A study of 5,006 work zones in Pennsylvania confirms that accidents occur more often in work zones than not.

The report, “Inferring the causal effect of work zones on crashes: Methodology and a case study,” identifies three work zones that seem to cause more crashes: roadways with high traffic volumes, long-distance work zones, and daytime work zones.

Citing 2009 data from the Federal Highway Administration, the report identified the scope of the problem as more than 3,000 work zones each year, on more than 20 percent of U.S. highways. Using 2015 data, the report cites a work-zone crash every 5.4 minutes.

The results show that the causal effect of a work zone on crash occurrence is significantly positive, especially on roadways with high traffic volumes (11,000 to 14,000 vehicles per day), in long-distance work zones (for example, 2,000 meters), and during daytime.

Source: Science Direct