TDOT Reminds Motorists: Work Zones Deserve Your Undivided Attention

Friday, April 16, 2010 | 04:51am
National Work Zone Awareness Week April 19-23
 
NASHVILLE — Governor Phil Bredesen today proclaimed April 19 – 23, 2010 Work Zone Awareness Week in Tennessee, joining states across the nation to remind motorists that Work Zones Deserve Your Undivided Attention. The U.S. Department of Transportation, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and departments of transportation across the U.S. are highlighting the dangers of distracted driving in work zones.
 
“Distracted driving is a serious issue, especially in highway work zones where drivers may encounter sudden lane shifts or slower traffic,” said Bredesen. “There is no text, call or other distraction that is worth taking a life. The message is simple: turn it off, put it down and pay undivided attention to your driving, especially in highway work zones. It could save a life.”
 
The spring and summer months provide perfect weather for highway work, and motorists will encounter hundreds of work zones across Tennessee in downtowns, along interstates and in rural areas. The U.S. DOT reports drivers using cell phones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers and are just as likely as drunk drivers to cause a crash. Highway work zones can change frequently, making it even more important to pay attention to the road.
 
“An overwhelming majority of people killed in work zone crashes in Tennessee are drivers or vehicle passengers,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “For your own safety and the safety of our workers, it is imperative to slow down and pay attention in work zones. It really can be the difference between life and death.”
 
In 2009, the Tennessee Department of Safety preliminary reports show 13 people died in work zone crashes. Two of those people were Cheyenne Dakota Burke, 18, of Bulls Gap, and Jeffrey B. Thompson II, 19, of Rogersville. The two teens, who worked for Kingston, Tennessee contractor Lu, Inc., were performing maintenance on cable barrier along I-75 in Anderson County when a truck left the road, crossed the median and struck the boys. Thompson’s father was also working on the project the day of the crash and saw it unfold. Jeffrey Thompson’s mother, Debbie, will speak at two TDOT events about how the tragic crash forever changed her family.
 
“My son was just 19 years old and had his entire life in front of him and it was taken in an instant,” said Mrs. Thompson. “I don’t want my son to be forgotten and I don’t want another family to have to suffer this kind of loss.”
 
TDOT will hold events across the state during Work Zone Awareness Week to draw attention to the importance of safe driving in work zones.  
  • April 19 – 10:30 a.m. Eastern – Knoxville – TDOT will kick-off Work Zone Awareness Week with an event at its Knoxville Region One Complex. Speakers include Debbie Thompson, who lost her son in a work zone crash, a TDOT employee and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.  
  • April 19 – 8:00 p.m. Central – Nashville – Construction is all around Nashville this summer. TDOT officials will join Metro Public Works, the Metro Water Department and Music City Center officials to light up the night sky and draw attention to work zones at night. TDOT will hold an event at the I-40/White Bridge Road interchange construction project. The project will be lit in orange for the week and people will hear from Debbie Thompson, who lost her teenage son in a work zone crash.  The State Capitol, Metro Courthouse, TDOT’s Headquarters Office the James K. Polk Building, Deaderick Street, and TDOT’s Region 3 Office on Centennial Boulevard will all also be lit in orange each night during Work Zone Awareness Week.
  • April 20 – 10:00 a.m. Central – Memphis – Work Zone Awareness Week in Memphis kicks off with an event at one of the largest projects in the city, the I-55 at Mallory Lane interchange project. TDOT maintenance employees and employees from contractor Dement Construction will talk about the dangers of working in highway work zones. TDOT will also light the Region Four Complex in Jackson in orange during Work Zone Awareness Week.  
  • April 20 – 8:30 a.m. Eastern – Carter High School in Knox County - TDOTwill present their “Between the Barrels” teen driver education program to approximately 115 high school students. 
  • April 20 – 9:00 a.m. Central – Oakland High School in Rutherford County – TDOTwill present their “Between the Barrels” teen driver education program to approximately 1,200 high school students. 
  • April 21 – 8:15 a.m. Central – Gordonsville High School in Smith County – TDOT will present their “Between the Barrels” teen driver education program to approximately 150 high school students. 
  • April 23 – 8:00 a.m. Central – Jo Byrns High School in Robertson County - TDOT will present their “Between the Barrels” teen driver education program to approximately 320 high school students. 
  • April 19 through 23 – TDOT’s Regional Complexes in Jackson, Nashville and Knoxville will be lighted in orange at night in honor of Work Zone Awareness Week. In Nashville, the State Capitol, Metro Courthouse, TDOT’s Headquarters Office the James K. Polk Building and Deaderick Street will also be lit in orange. 
  • April 19 through 23 – TDOT will display important Work Zone Safety reminders on overhead message boards in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville. 
A copy of the proclamation recognizing April 19 through 23 as Work Zone Awareness Week is attached to this release.
 

Work Zone Awareness Week Event Times and Locations:
 
April 19
 
10:30 a.m. Eastern Time           
Work Zone Awareness Week Kick-Off Event                            Contact:    Yvette Martinez
TDOT Region 1 Complex                                                                          865-755-9960
7345 Region Lane                                                                      Yvette.Martinez@tn.gov   
Knoxville, TN 37914                                                                  
                                               
 
8:00 p.m. Central Time              
Work Zones at Night Event                                                        Contact: B.J. Doughty
White Bridge Road at Robertson Avenue                                                 615-350-4302
Across from Richland Baptist Church                                            BJ.Doughty@tn.gov
Nashville, TN
Take I-40 to White Bridge Road, left on Robertson Avenue, left on Midland Avenue
                                                                                                                                 
April 20
 
10:00 a.m. Central Time
Work Zone Awareness Week Event                                         Contact: Nichole Lawrence
I-55 between Mallory Ave. and Kansas St./Horn Lake Rd.                           931-225-6041
Memphis, TN                                                                          Nichole.Lawrence@tn.gov 
See attached map for directions to the event site.                      
 
 
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For more information contact:
Julie Oaks
TDOT Public Information Officer
615-741-9930
Julie.A.Oaks@tn.gov  

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