Highway Work Zone Car Accidents: 6 Facts to Know (Pt. 2)

Resuming Highway Work Zone Car Accidents: 6 Facts to Know (Pt. 1), here we will continue revealing some important facts about these types of traffic accidents.

More Info about Highway Work Zone Car Accidents

Fact 3 – Most highway work zone car accidents are rear-end collisions.

This is another fascinating fact about highway work zone car accidents, as the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) reports that:

• About half of all nighttime highway work zone car accidents are rear-end collisions.
• About 1 in every 3 daytime highway work zone car accidents is a rear-end collision.

Some of the reasons that rear-end collisions are so often the types of wrecks that occur in highway work zones include that:

• Lane closures, signage and changed speed limits (among other things) can cause drivers to become distracted and/or disoriented, preventing them from noticing other motorists slowing down and/or stopping in front of them.
• The above conditions can also result in motorists not noticing things like red lights, temporary stop signs and/or workers directing traffic, which can result in them slamming on the brakes at the last minute (increasing the likelihood that drivers behind them won’t have time to stop and, consequently, may rear-end them).

Here, we also want to point out that, while rear-end collisions are the most common types of highway work zone car accidents, other common types of wrecks that occur in these zones include sideswipes and collisions with fixed objects.

Fact 4 – Speeding and alcohol use are often factors in highway work zone car accidents.

As referenced above, driver negligence is commonly involved in highway work zone car accidents. Although the specific form of this negligence can vary, more often than not it involves drivers:

• Speeding – About 31 percent of highway work zone car accidents involve drivers speeding in these work zones immediately prior to a collision. Given that highway work zones often have reduced speed limits and that drivers can be disoriented in these zones, it’s easy to see how they may speed in these areas.
• Being drunk – About 1 in every 5 highway work zone car accidents involves a drunk driver. Given that motorists generally need to pay more attention to changing or altered conditions in these work zones, when drivers are drunk, their impaired perception and response times can easily lead to highway work zone car accidents.

Here, we also want to note that a failure to wear seatbelts is a factor in more than half of all fatal highway work zone car accidents.

Be sure to read the conclusion to this blog series for a few more crucial facts to know about highway work zone car accidents.

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 securing the highest possible awards for your injuries and losses.

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.