Kansas Launches Work Zone Safety Push After Rise in Crashes
State transportation and law enforcement officials rolled out a summer campaign urging drivers to slow down in highway construction zones.
State officials on Wednesday launched a summer safety campaign aimed at reducing crashes in highway work zones, following an uptick in collisions that has alarmed road crews across Kansas.
With the construction season in full swing, the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Highway Patrol urged drivers to slow down, put away phones, and expect sudden stops near crews. Officials said the vast majority of people hurt in work-zone crashes are drivers and passengers, not workers.
"These are somebody's parents and kids out there a few feet from traffic," a Highway Patrol spokesperson said. Troopers plan increased patrols along major corridors, and fines for speeding in work zones are doubled.
The campaign includes electronic message boards and radio spots reminding motorists that orange cones mean lives are on the line.
