Nighttime Roadwork Threatens Driver Safety

July 2007

As more and more states adopt night roadwork schedules to complete road construction and repairs, your safety as a driver is at risk. Right here in Pennsylvania, 80 percent of all PA Turnpike work in July features scheduled nighttime construction, most of it starting between 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and completing at dawn.

Night driving already comes with a risk of reduced visibility. Dangerous road conditions compound that hazard even further. Recognizing this risk, Rep. Bill Shuster (R., Pa.) introduced a mandate into the 2005 highway transportation law passed by Congress requiring that research studies be done to determine night work-zone safety. Congressman Shuster represents central and western Pennsylvania, including Altoona.

Looking at national statistics, work-zone fatalities increased by nearly 200 deaths from 2001 to 2005. In that time, nighttime deaths went from 43 percent to 45 percent of total work-zone fatalities. Although doubled fines for speeding and better lighting at work sites are among the improvements in the past couple years, increasing amounts of roadwork at night may cause nighttime accident and fatality statistics for 2007 to leap higher than ever before.