Road Safety Blog

Drive with caution in areas of road construction

jonckie

Driving near or through construction zones can be dangerous if you don’t keep your eyes on the road and focused on the signs. If you are caught in a construction zone, maintain a calm attitude and follow the cars or instructions in front of you. While these road closures or bumpy experiences are often frustrating and can slow down your commute significantly, try to respect the road workers and cars around you.

Here are a few tips for drivers when driving in these conditions:

Regardless of the size of construction going on, when an influx of cars is forced to stop, it can become a traffic jam and a waiting game. You never know what to expect up ahead, as every worksite is different. Either the drivers around you will cause further havoc or the workers in charge of the road signs might not know what to do, so always be wary of the speed limits and equipment placed in random areas.

There is a reason why the signage is designed to be bold, and it’s to alert you to the situation up front and what to do in each section of the construction zone. Do not ignore these signs, as driving in areas that are forbidden can lead to an accident or a dangerous, unexpected event. If you are travelling fast, slow down once you see these signs. They are there to warn you about roadworks.

The flaggers are there for a reason: to regulate traffic and to steer drivers in the right direction. These workers will hold up warning signs and flags to alert drivers of a stop-and-go or a traffic jam ahead. Do not disobey these flaggers, as they are there to assist you and keep you safe in construction zones. They have the same authority and are just as important as the construction signs themselves.

As briefly mentioned, you cannot control these situations. Unless it’s a newsworthy construction project in the works or an area that you drive past every day, you probably won’t know about it beforehand, so you will not be able to plan your route. While it’s certainly frustrating and time-consuming, road rage is not going to speed up the process, it’s only going to cause further frustration amongst the drivers. Flaggers and construction site managers know that it’s an inconvenience, but if everyone were to be patient and move slowly through the designated construction zone, you’ll be able to leave without being angry.

You will be able to see a construction site in advance because of the heavy-duty equipment and signage around a particular area. Most of the time, you will see cars coming to a halt and causing unnecessary traffic on the roads too. The only way to avoid this is by merging immediately once you see a lane is closed. Because it’s merging too late that will cause cars to slow down and come to a halt. For example, most drivers try to speed up to the closure and then manoeuver their way into the open lane. This type of driving behaviour causes frustration and possibly even accidents because of the upset in traffic flow.

You need to leave at least a car’s length in front of you when you are stuck in traffic or come to a complete standstill. Often people are not focused on traffic because they are either frustrated or trying to maximise their time by doing other tasks as well. Keeping a distance between your car and the vehicle in front of you can prevent you from driving into any barriers, trucks, flaggers or dangerous equipment. These zones have plenty of signage encouraging drivers to slow down, so safety needs to be an absolute priority.

If you’ve heard about a particular road closure or construction zone which happens to be on your route, try to plan around it and avoid them as much as possible. National roads often inform drivers about building sites up ahead, but be sure to learn the various detoured routes available for you.

Final thoughts

Investing in a car is a long-term responsibility. The last thing you need is to drive recklessly and put your new vehicle at risk. Cars are expensive properly, and vehicle finance and vehicle repayment rates don’t come easily. So, as much as effort as you’ve put into applying for a loan based on your required car repayment calculator rates, and your down payment, you need to look after your car and drive safely. Do as much as you can to avoid collisions or accidents in construction zones by focusing on yourself and the vehicles around you.

 

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