Never let your guard down in a work zone

Chris Fasching

 My name is Chris Fasching, and I am the Highway Maintenance Superintendent for Area Three in Bonner Springs (Kansas City). I joined KDOT in 1990 as an Equipment Operator I, and I have been working in Area Three my entire career. 

Safety in work zones has always been emphasized at KDOT since my very first day. I have worked in all types of work zones, from rural two-lane to multilane interstates, and I have seen a lot of close calls. They always get your blood pumping and make everyone on the job angry. There have been many times that I thought a co-worker might get hurt or worse because of an inattentive driver. But the first time it happened to me is still the most memorable. It was just a few weeks after I started the job.

I was working on a rural section of a two-lane highway that had some hills, curves and deep ditches. We happened to be working on a straight section of the road, so I figured my biggest problem would be staying alert since traffic was light. Sometimes there were several minutes between cars.

 Around 9:30 a.m. that morning, a single car was coming in my direction. I turned to signal the other flagman that I had a car approaching. But he was already signaling me that he was going to send a car my way. The car coming toward me was far enough away that it had plenty of time to stop, so I raised my paddle higher and waived it back and forth.

By then, I could see that the car was a big, old 1970s Oldsmobile, and it seemed to be slowing down. I quickly checked on the car coming from behind me, and it looked like it was going to pass by me about the same time as the other car coming toward me.

But when I turned back to look at the Oldsmobile, I realized that it wasn't slowing down like I thought. I waived the paddle faster and tried to get his attention, but he just kept coming. The bank on my side of the road was steep, but I couldn't get to the other side of the road because of the car coming in the other lane behind me. That only left one way to go, and I was out of time. 

I let go of the paddle and ran for the steep bank. It was only about six feet from the edge line to the back slope, and I had to scramble. I heard the Oldsmobile try to stop before it ran over the flagging paddle behind me. By the time the car stopped, about 75 feet past where I had been standing, I was already running towards it. I was mad! 

As I got closer to the car, I could see that the driver was an older man, and the older woman in the passenger seat was hitting him with a very large purse. After that, most of the anger went out of me. I motioned him to back up so I could get the flagging paddle that was stuck under the car, then I sent him on his way.

The lesson I learned is that it doesn't matter where it is or how busy the work zone is, there is always the potential for something to go wrong. You can never let your guard down or get complacent in a work zone.

Fortunately, KDOT has made a lot of positive changes in work zones and will continue to look for ways to improve work zone safety. We have larger and more reflective signs, high visibility vests and other gear, portable rumble strips, better lights on the trucks/equipment and reliable, handheld radios to communicate with.

But as long as there are vehicles coming through the work zones, there will always be the possibility of something going wrong. Motorists, please slow down and pay extra attention in work zones. I want to go home every night to my family.

Chris Fasching has worked at KDOT for more than 30 years