Near misses all too common in work zones

By Doug Pulliam

Doug Pulliam

During my past 18 years at KDOT, I have witnessed many near-miss accidents. Most were during my 10-plus years in maintenance, however, that does not exclude instances on the construction side.   

Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) devices or a TTC plan help drivers navigate through a work zone. However, with all the effort that goes into TTC, there are still accidents that occur. In my construction experience, the most frequent are rear-ending incidents.

Most often they are found to be caused by drivers being preoccupied. I have witnessed people being distracted from their driving by such things as reading, putting on makeup, other passengers and the incessant bombardment of the use of electronic devices. These are just a few but are at the top of the list of things that preoccupy drivers.

While working on the Area Crew, I was involved in a few near misses. One instance has stuck with me as a reminder of how quickly things can become life-threatening. While placing an asphalt pavement patch on a section of highway, we had advanced warning signs and flaggers on this small operation. After traffic was released from one end, the vehicles moved through the work zone at a slow speed.

The trailing vehicle happened to be an 18-wheeler hauling materials. He was apparently trying to catch up to the other vehicles as he was moving at a high rate of speed when he reached the paver and made no effort to slow down. The asphalt paving screed operator working on the centerline side was attempting to clear an obstruction in the wing as the truck approached. Not having time to get around the equipment, his only action was to jump over the side of the hopper and into the paver bed. 

The other men on the crew abandoned the machine and sought refuge away from the equipment. The truck’s mirror struck the handle of a shovel that was secured on the paver wing. The impact sent broken wood and glass flying in all directions. There was no damage to the equipment and only minor scrapes and bruises to the crew members. Things could have been much worse without the immediate response of the crew.

During another incident, three cars were involved. Cars 1 and 2 were stopped by the flagger and car 3 struck car 2 from the rear at an estimated speed of 35 mph. That was after the driver of car 3 realized there was something stopped in their lane and slammed on the brakes. Car 2 was forced into car 1, where it nearly hit the flagger. Had the flagger not quickly responded to the first sign of danger by fleeing into the ditch, she well could have become a casualty. 

During an interview with the driver of car 3, the attending officer reported that the driver had stated, “I never saw any orange signs.” Luckily, there were no casualties and only minor damages. None of which would have happened with a little more attentiveness. 

Doug Pulliam is an Engineering Technician Specialist with KDOT in Pittsburg.