An 18-wheeler traveling on Interstate 26 (I-26) in South Carolina (SC) swerved to avoid another vehicle in a construction area resulting in a devastating wreck in which the tractor trailer jack-knifed and wound up slamming into a Ford SUV and a Mercedes. Five people were seriously hurt, according to justicenewsflash.com.
These types of accidents may increase given the fact that the Recovery and Reinvestment Act (i.e. the stimulus bill) provides a lot of money towards highway reconstruction and expansion projects. More major roads are being filled with work crews and construction equipment which heighten the risk of a potential car wreck since lanes get narrowed and traffic patterns get altered without warning.
Highway work zone accidents have killed roughly 4,700 people – over two a day – and injured 200,000 in the last five years, according to the New York Times .
Is there anything that can be done to reduce the number of construction-related car/truck accidents? Yes. First and foremost, slow down when you start to see highway work zone signs and equipment. The driver of the 18-wheeler which caused the I-26 accident was charged with driving too fast for the conditions. Reduce your speed by at least 10mph so you have more reaction time if something suddenly appears on the roadway (like a construction worker, another vehicle, pavement drop-off, etc.). Another suggestion is to keep your eyes on the road at all times when traveling through the construction zone. Do not talk on your cell phone or text and drive. Distracted driving is dangerous enough, but distracted driving in the midst of a construction zone is even more volatile and risky . If you do these two things, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to avoid a major wreck and potential serious injury