By CRM staff
Toronto, Ontario – May 16, 2019 — In support of the B.C. Cone Zone campaign, the British Columbia Automobile Association is asking drivers to pay attention to “cone zones” and slow down when passing roadside workers.
To prevent deaths and injuries to roadside workers in the province, the B.C. Cone Zone campaign has been reminding the public to slow down when approaching a cone zone for the past nine years.
The RCMP Lower Mainland District integrated road safety unit is also contributing to this cause and partnering with the Work Zone Safety Alliance and WorkSafeBC to raise awareness about the risks workers face while working on or alongside the road.
The campaign includes an enforcement blitz at worksites in the Lower Mainland for members of the driving public. Tickets to drivers can range from $196 for disobeying a flag person to $368 for using an electronic device while driving. The social and economic costs resulting from a loss of life or serious injury are much higher.
The B.C. Cone Zone Campaign coincides with the increase in roadside work throughout the province in the spring and summer. As construction activity increases in the busy spring and summer construction months, drivers need to slow down when driving through a cone zone and pay attention to instructions from traffic control persons, temporary road signs and traffic control devices.
In 2018, two roadside workers died as a result of being hit by a motor vehicle and another 29 were injured. Between 2009 and 2018, 13 roadside workers were killed and 213 were injured under similar circumstances.
To learn more visit ConeZoneBC.com
