With summer time construction officials urge driver safety

MERRITT – Within the City of Merritt crews have been hard at work with construction and officials are warning about driver safety throughout.

“Think about the workplace you go to every day. Now imagine cars and trucks whizzing by within just a few metres of you,” says Trace Acres, Program Director for Road Safety at Work and spokesperson for the 13th annual campaign. “That’s how vulnerable roadside workers are. Sometimes, orange cones are the only things separating their work site from moving vehicles weighing several tonnes.”

Road Safety at Work has launched its Cone Zone campaign which reminds drivers, workers, and employers that unsafe driving in roadside work zones puts people in danger.

According to WorkSafeBC statistics, 12 roadside workers were hit and killed by a vehicle in BC from 2012-2021, with another 221 being seriously injured.

“Your driving decisions affect lives,” says Acres. “Every worker is someone’s parent, child, friend, neighbour, or co-worker. How you drive in work zones in Merritt and around the Thompson-Nicola region can be the difference between them getting home safely after their shift or being injured or killed.”

Penalties for unsafe driving in a work zone include:

• Using an electronic device while driving
  • $368
• Speeding
  • $196-$253
• Disobeying a traffic control device
  • $121
• Disobeying a flag person
  • $196

“As the summer road work season kicks off, we encourage drivers to be aware and use caution when travelling through roadside worksites,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “We can all do our part to keep roadside workers safe by slowing down and paying attention to what’s going on around us. The Cone Zone is a great reminder that it’s the little things we do while travelling our roads that keep our workers safe. Every worker deserves a safe work environment and we all play a part in making that a reality.”