According to highway safety experts, distracted drivers are responsible for approximately fifty percent of all collisions that occur in highway construction work zones. Distracted drivers are often unaware the roadways have been altered in response to ongoing highway construction projects, according to a representative of the North Tarrant Express Project, a North Texas firm in charge of a road construction project in the region. Speed limits in construction zones have recently been lowered to 50 miles per hour in the area in an attempt to reduce the number of collisions that occur in designated work zones. Four police cars have been struck in recent work zone collisions along Interstate 635, and several other accidents have involved injuries that required an emergency response at ongoing construction projects along the LBJ express. According to safety experts, distracted drivers, whether distracted by handheld communication devices, applying make-up, or eating, face double the risk of being involved in a construction zone collision that that faced by drivers impaired by the use of drugs or alcohol.
As a car accident attorney in San Jose, I am hopeful that motorists will behave more safely in designated construction work zones to reduce the risk of accidents. If you or someone you love has been injured in an automotive collision, please consider discussing your options for legal recourse with a San Jose personal injury attorney.