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Tim Johnson didn’t see the car that nearly killed him. The Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy was too busy clearing up a car crash scene that cold January morning in 2006 to watch traffic.

At the time, he was surrounded by the bright, flashing lights that border all roadside work zones. He trusted drivers to see those warning signs and slow down or move over, as the law requires. Most drivers did. One didn’t. A car swerving to avoid stopped traffic spun into the work zone and struck Deputy Johnson, throwing him 60 feet—headfirst into a cement median.

Johnson’s injuries were critical, but his wasn’t the first work zone crash that year, or the most deadly. Nearly 1,100 people are injured in Wisconsin work zones every year. And, on average, eleven of those crash victims die. Like Dennis Roessler.

In December of 2003, the seven-year county highway employee was struck and killed by an impatient driver who tried to pass a truck while in a work zone. The vehicle sped through the area at 50 miles per hour, knocking over three cones before hitting Roessler. He died on impact.

Wisconsin Highway Commissioner, Ernie Winters, still remembers telling Roessler’s wife what happened. “We didn’t have to [tell her]. She knew when she saw us there,” says Winters. “She cried quite a bit. The children did as well, obviously. Their father was dead.”

The number of work zone crashes proves that any time people are working near traffic, drivers and workers are at risk. But such crashes are preventable. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, following a few safe driving basics can help everyone be safer in the zone.

Drivers should slow down and pay extra attention to their surroundings whenever they see flashing lights, maintenance, utility or emergency vehicles, orange signs, barrels and cones, or people along the road. Eliminating distractions like food, loud music, and cell phones also helps.

And, of course, Wisconsin drivers should follow the law. That means slowing down whenever flashing lights are present. Drivers should also move over, if possible, to leave the lane beside the work zone open. And in hazardous construction areas, lowered speed limits are posted and must be obeyed.

Breaking these rules can be costly. Tickets for traffic violations are doubled in work zones, and the penalties for injuring or killing someone in a work zone are especially high—up to $25,000 in fines and 10 years in prison.

But as Tim Johnson can tell you, the consequences of reckless driving can be much costlier. Two years after his crash, the deputy is still dealing with the aftermath.

“I miss being on the street in the squad car instead of behind a desk,” says Johnson. A light duty officer until his health improves, Johnson is now a crusader for work-zone safety. “People need to move over or slow down, so nobody gets an injury like the one I had.”

For more information on work-zone safety, visit the Wisconsin DOT online at www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety.

Other Resources
AARP Driver Safety Program
www.aarp.org/drive

AARP CarFit Program
www.car-fit.org