Safety

2021 National Work Zone Awareness Week

As we’ve transitioned into Spring, you probably have noticed more construction signs and orange traffic barrels along the roadway. April 26 marks the beginning of National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW). It is an annual campaign to spread awareness for work zone safety and to encourage safe driving. This year’s theme for NWZAW is “Drive Safe. Work…
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Pavement Markings – Should You Cross that Line?

Did you know that pavement markings are not as simple as you might think? Pavement markings are used to convey many different messages to the driver, signaling which part of the road to use and where passing is allowed. Pavement markings use two primary indicators – color and line style – to relay information to…
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DYK It’s Child Passenger Safety Week?

Every day in America, parents and caregivers travel in a vehicle with their children. While many of those children are riding in correctly installed car seats for their ages and sizes, most are not. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car seat use can reduce the risk of injury in a crash…
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Safe Work Zones for All: 2020 NWZAW

The beginning of spring signals the start of road construction’s busy season. Road construction crews will begin popping up around the state to repair streets, roads, highways, and bridges. Although work zones play a critical role in providing a safe area for workers, they can be a major cause of congestion. In some instances, many…
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Safe Digging with Alabama 811

Whether you are an engineer, contractor, or property owner, you play an essential role in keeping people safe with every dig. Safe digging begins with calling Alabama 811. Alabama 811 is dedicated to preventing damage to Alabama’s underground utilities and promoting public safety. The organization functions as a communication system, connecting member utility companies with…
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The Importance of Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety

The Greater Birmingham Regional Planning Commission hosted the Federal Highway Administration’s Designing Streets for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Workshop on February 20th and 21st. I had the opportunity to attend as a representative of Sain Associates, along with other consultants and individuals from local municipalities and organizations. The two-day workshop was centered on bicycle and…
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Tennessee Led the Nation in a Bad Way

According to the “Hands Free Tennessee” campaign, there were 24,600 crashes involving a distracted driver in Tennessee in 2018. A recent study also revealed that from 2015 to 2017, Tennessee had the highest rate of distracted driving deaths in the nation, at 7.2 distracted driving deaths per 10 billion vehicle miles. Tennessee’s rate is nearly five times higher than the national…
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Did You Know? What To Do When a Signal Is In Flash

Traffic signals are part of daily life for most U.S. citizens.  Traffic signals are commonly seen at roadway intersections and primarily function to assign the right-of-way to the various traffic movements.  A traffic signal uses three colors, directional arrows, and circular indications to convey certain messages to drivers.  When signals work as normal, most drivers…
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National Work Zone Awareness Week

Created in 2000, National Work Zone Awareness Week  (NWZAW) is an annual spring campaign dedicated to educating and encouraging safe driving through work zones. It also honors those whose lives have been lost due to a work zone accident. This year, the 20th annual campaign will take place April 8-12 with the theme: “Drive Like You Work…
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