Kids of Caltrans Campaign to Improve Safety for Roadside Workers

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently issued a press release about their “Kids of Caltrans” campaign that is aimed at raising awareness about the importance of moving over for roadside vehicles. The campaign features children and families of the highway workers that work alongside roadways across the State of California. The idea behind the campaign is to make a personal and impactful message to drivers in hopes that they will navigate more carefully around roadside workers.  

Work Zone Crashes in California 

According to Caltrans, nearly 7,000 work-zone crashes happened on California roadways in 2020. Those crashes resulted in 3,000 injuries and nearly 100 fatalities. Although all 50 states have “Move Over” laws, 71 percent of Americans are not even aware of them. Caltrans is hoping to raise awareness about Move Over laws in California and improve safety for roadway workers in our state.  

Move Over Laws Keep Workers Safe  

This public awareness campaign was made in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The campaign is calling on drivers to be alert and move over a lane if it is safe to do so or to slow down before safely passing highway workers. It’s the law, and also, it’s how drivers can keep roadside workers safe, so they can go home to their children and families at the end of the day.  

Safe Working Conditions for Roadside Workers 

Highway workers, law enforcement officers, emergency responders and tow truck drivers are all at risk for being struck and injured or killed when working beside roadways. If you see flashing lights, even if they’re the amber lights of a tow truck, you need to move over a lane. If you can’t move over a lane, you need to slow down to a safe speed for passing. Roadside workers deserve to do their jobs safely.      

If you have been injured or if you have lost a loved one in a work zone crash in San Diego or anywhere in Southern California, contact the skilled and proven team at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. at 1.800.GO.HARRIS for a free case consultation today.