Roadways Prove Dangerous for Construction Workers, Police and Fire

Sgt. Loewenhagen

Almost 1,500 construction workers nationally have been killed on the job.

“Construction workers have kind of a unique aspect because when they’re in a roadway, the roadway is not flowing normally,” said Traffic Sgt. Greg Loewenhagen.

“There are barricades out in the road, the speed limits have changed. So, the people who are used to traveling those roads are not traveling a normal traffic pattern. Any bit of those changes can have an impact on drivers such as the lowered speed limits, the change of signage where you used to be able to turn right or left and now you can’t. That all present hazards when people are driving. Many times, they’re driving distracted – they’re not paying attention to those signs, they’re not looking at the barricades. The construction personnel who are out in the roadway at that time trying to work have drivers whizzing by who aren’t paying attention as they should be and it’s extremely hazardous to them.”

In addition to barricades, at every roadway work zone there are signs that say something like ‘workers on duty.’

“Their job is dangerous and unfortunately, they’re committed to moving electrical lines or digging through the asphalt,” explained Loewenhagen. “Their attention is not on traffic so they’re hoping those barricades do their job. They’re hoping the cars stay where they’re supposed to stay. But it’s dangerous for sure.”

The dangers are equal for both police officers and firefighters.

“People see the red and blue lights, it catches their attention and, unfortunately, they’re not looking for people who are on foot,” said Loewenhagen. “They’re not looking for an officer standing in the road. They’re not looking for a firefighter or a civilian who may have gotten into a vehicle collision who’s out in the roadway. They’re looking at the cars. They see big objects. They don’t see the small ones. They don’t see the people. And that’s a big hazard. That’s why we wear bright yellow vests. It’s why we try to be as visible as possible. It is a very hazardous job anytime you’re in a roadway where there are vehicles.”

If you get a ticket for not slowing down in work zones, the fines are typically double what the normal penalty would be due to the increased danger to workers in those areas. The points, added to your driving record, are the same since the point accrual is set by the Motor Vehicle Division. A ticket can also increase your insurance rates.

As Sgt. Loewenhagen points out, most of these violations are civil violations so it’s just a ticket, not a crime.   

As a motorcycle officer, Sgt. Loewenhagen has near misses on a regular basis. “I have to brake very heavily to avoid somebody turning left in front of me or I have to evade left or right from somebody who’s pulling into a lane I’m already occupying. Motorcycles, unfortunately, aren’t as visible as vehicles. The same as pedestrians. They’re smaller objects. They take up less space in someone’s field of view. So, it happens to me about every week or two where I have to avoid a collision on a motorcycle.”

He does pull those drivers over when he’s able to but doesn’t if he’s headed to an emergency call.

“One of the things we try to do as motorcycle officers are if we make traffic stops on roadways with a 45 mph or higher speed limit, we try to get the motorist off the road,” Sgt. Loewenhagen said. “I want them to pull into a parking lot, pull onto a side street, get off the road completely. That’s safer for us, safer for the other motorists on the roadway. If I have to stop on a roadway that has a high-speed limit, I’m approaching the passenger side of the car. I don’t even want to be next to traveling vehicles that are at full road speed. Sometimes we’re forced to do it. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling even for someone like me who’s been doing it for 20 years and probably has made 5,000-10,000 traffic stops.”

His advice to any driver getting pulled over is to get off the road, turn your emergency flashers on immediately, if possible, and begin to slow down. “That way the officer behind you knows that you’re acknowledging you’

The sergeant reassures drivers they won’t get in trouble for driving a little way to find a safe place to pull over.

“I appreciate people who are pulling over, at my direction, when they go to a safe spot,” added Loewenhagen.