As Greater Victorians wrap up their summer holidays and begin their back-to-school routines, traffic is once again on the rise.
It is also a time of abundant road work around the city, which has prompted a new campaign from Road Safety at Work (RSAW) – the Work Zone Safety Campaign.
"The combination of hot weather, holiday weekend travel, and back-to-school routines requires extra patience and care from drivers to help keep roadside workers in B.C. safe," said RSAW in a news release.
"More vehicles, and more drivers in a rush or travelling unfamiliar routes, mean greater risk for the tens of thousands of British Columbians who work within metres of moving traffic. Distraction, especially from phones, and heat-induced stress add to the danger."
The new campaign from RSAW encourages drivers who may be travelling with family and friends to remember that roadside workers have family and friends too, who are waiting to see them at the end of their workday.
“We’ve all got to keep our eyes on the road and be aware of everything going on in roadside work zones,” says Trace Acres, spokesperson for RSAW's Work Zone Safety campaign.
“Every year, we hear about near-misses – or worse – in work zones because a driver was driving too fast or looking at their phone instead of the road."
Between 2015 and 2024, nine roadside workers in B.C. were killed and 267 more were injured seriously enough to miss work.
“Most drivers follow directions, slow down, and are respectful,” said Chris Ruddick, an operations manager with a contracting company in Greater Victoria. Ruddick is also a member of the Island Equipment Owners Association, and while he knows most drivers are respectful, that cannot be said for all of them.
“But it’s still common to experience drivers who just don’t relate to how dangerous it is for workers doing their job beside passing traffic.”
Ruddick says that drivers are better able to recognize roadside work zones due to signage, traffic cones, barriers and high-visibility gear. But a newer tool has been helping as well.
Ruddick's company is now utilizing an automated flagger assistance device, a remote-controlled flagging system using gates and flags to reduce worker exposure to traffic.
"I wish all drivers would understand that the workers occupying the roadways are just doing their job, and for some of them, that job is to help keep motorists safe,” says Ruddick.
“For others, their job benefits the people driving those cars: garbage and recycling are being collected, landscaping is being done, sidewalks are being improved, drains are being unclogged, etc.”
RSAW is highlighting three ways to keep workers safe: slow down and drive at the posted speed limit, pay attention and leave your phone alone, and obey all traffic signs and flag persons.
They remind drivers that construction speed limits are in effect even when workers are not present. And even if a work zone looks empty, don't assume it's inactive – crews may be setting up, packing up or just out of view.
