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.
