Highway Work Zone Car Accidents: 6 Facts to Know (Pt. 1)

While traffic accidents can occur anywhere, when construction zones – or highway work zones – have been set up on roadways, the risk of collisions can significantly increase. This can be due to the fact that, with these zones, drivers will generally have to be more alert while simultaneously navigating new routes and/or narrower roads with other possibly disoriented motorists.

Taking a closer look at the incidence and possible impacts of highway work zone car accidents, in this three-part blog series, we will discuss some important facts about these types of motor vehicle accidents.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a highway work zone accident (or in any type of traffic accident), the Littleton car accident lawyers at Littleton Lawyers™ are here for you, ready to help you hold the negligent parties accountable so you can secure the compensation to which you may be entitled.

Highway Work Zone Car Accidents: The Facts

Fact 1 – Nearly 2 percent of all traffic accidents in the U.S. occur in highway work zones.

In other words, this means that, every year in the U.S., more than 87,000 highway work zone car accidents take place, according to the Federal Highway Administration (a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation). To put these numbers into a different perspective, this means that:

• Every day in the U.S., nearly 100 people are hurt in a highway work zone accident.
• Every 14 minutes, someone in the U.S. is injured in one of these traffic accidents.
• Every 15 or so hours, someone is killed as a result of a highway work zone collision.

While these statistics may be disconcerting, there is some good news here: the rate of highway work zone car accidents has been declining steadily since 2002, dropping by more than 50 percent over the past decade or so.

Fact 2 – The vast majority of highway work zone car accidents occur during the daytime.

In fact, as federal transportation regulators report, about 70 percent of all fatal highway work zone car accidents occur between the hours of 8 am and 4:59 pm. While this may be surprising on the surface, it makes far more sense when considering the following:

• There are substantially more vehicles on the road during the daytime hours (as opposed to the evening and nighttime hours).
• During the daytime, there are also usually more workers in highway work zones. Although some of these zones may be operated at night, even if they are, the mere fact that there is less traffic on the roads at night can mean far less opportunities for vehicles and workers in these zones to make contact and be involved in collisions.

For some more important info about highway work zone car accidents, be sure to read the additional installments of this blog series. They’ll be published soon.

Littleton Car Accident Lawyers at Littleton Lawyers™

Have you or someone you love been hurt in a highway work zone collision – or in any type of traffic accident? If so, you can turn to the Littleton car accident attorneys at Littleton Lawyers™ for experienced help.

A choice to work with the trusted Littleton car accident attorneys at Littleton Lawyers™ can empower injured people and give them confidence that their important legal matters will be resolved as favorably and efficiently as possible.

Let’s Talk about Your Rights – Contact Us for a Free Consult

To get more information about your potential case and rights, let’s meet for a free, no obligations initial consultation. To set up a meeting, call us at (303) 794-7422 or email us using the contact form on this page.

From our law offices in Littleton, we represent clients throughout Colorado, including in the Denver Metro Area, Arapahoe County, Adams County, Jefferson County and the cities of Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Castle Rock, Westminster, Centennial and Aurora.