State officials encourage safe driving during Work Zone Awareness Week

It’s Work Zone Awareness Week in North Carolina, and the message from state officials is to “slow down, pay attention, and don’t drive distracted.” They’re asking that motorists pay particular attention in work zones.

According to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, 171 people were killed in North Carolina work zones between 2018 and 2022. Officials say speeding and distracted driving are major factors in over half of all work zone crashes.

Also this week, a National Work Zone Memorial was unveiled at the Northampton County Welcome Center.

The traveling memorial includes a tribute to former NCDOT employee Anna Bradshaw, who was killed in August 2022 while flagging traffic in a Wilson County work zone. Several of Bradshaw’s former colleagues took part in Monday’s unveiling.