In less than two weeks, two road workers have been killed on Arizona roadways. Now, all across the state, electronic signs are reminding drivers to be cautious.
The signs are simple and somber: “2 Road Workers Killed This Month - Drive Alert,” they say. The signs went up Monday afternoon, the same day a contract worker for the Arizona Department of Transportation was struck on the Loop 101 in Scottsdale, and later died. Earlier this month, a tow truck driver was killed while helping a motorist on Interstate 10 near Benson.
Doug Pacey, an ADOT spokesman, said these kinds of deaths usually don’t happen this frequently.
“And to get two in the span of 10 days, that’s tragically high. It doesn’t really happen that way,” Pacey said. “So that’s why we’re putting the signs up, so people are made aware of it. It’s something they should be aware of already.”
Pacey said he hopes these signs – about 70 to 80 across the state – have an emotional impact on the countless people who will drive by.
“Any time you see that someone was killed, you should take that to heart, and think for a moment and realize, ‘What am I doing?’” he said. “Don’t drive distracted. Pay attention in the work zone. These two deaths were probably avoidable. And that’s what makes it so tragic.”
Pacey also reminded motorists to abide by Arizona’s “Move Over” law. It requires drivers to move over one lane – or slow down, if changing lanes is unsafe – when driving by any vehicle with flashing lights on the side of the road.
