Road builders urge motorists to "Respect the Zone" during National Work Zone Awareness Week

Skip Poe, director with the Alabama Road Builders Association, told the Joint Interim Committees that National Work Zone Awareness Week is an annual campaign at the start of construction season to remind motorists to slow down, eliminate distractions and give space to roadway workers. "This year's theme is 'respect the zone so we all get home,'" Poe said.

Poe reviewed recent crash data and outreach efforts. He said work-zone fatalities in Alabama in 2024 were the lowest in a decade, but crashes rose 14 percent and injuries rose 6 percent; roughly 80 percent of those killed in work zones are drivers and passengers, Poe said. He described statewide press events, radio and television interviews, social-media blasts, billboards, safety videos and elementary-school materials — including a coloring-book program and a mascot called Millie used for school outreach.

Poe called attention to a serious August crash on I‑85 near Opelika involving a commercial truck and a striping crew from Ozark Striping; the incident left crew members severely injured and out of work for months, he said, and the company and crew were recognized at a recent kickoff press conference. Poe said such incidents, together with increased construction activity paid for by IIJA and Rebuild Alabama, have prompted industry, ALDOT and the association to discuss additional work-zone technologies and potential legislative changes. "Because we all can agree 1 death is too many," he said, urging early conversations with lawmakers before the next session.

Poe also described local demonstrations and tools used during the week, including a portable work-zone demonstration built from cones and drums, and urged committee members to spread the safety message. Committee members responded with anecdotal support for the campaign and encouraged outreach to drivers ahead of heavy construction periods.