The Memorial Day weekend signals the start of the summer driving season and the increase in traffic raises the concern for road workers. DOT spokesman Jerry Dickinson says you won’t see many workers on your way home from the holiday today, but you’ll see signs of their work. He says workers won’t be out today, but there are work zones that can’t be torn down for the weekend. He encourages you to watch for the color orange — which is the international signal for construction zones. Dickinson say motorists are the key to making work zones safe. He says the primary thing to do is pay attention to your driving, in work zones and on the open road. Dickinson says tailgating causes lots of trouble in work zones. He says you should leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front of you, as three quarters of the work zone accidents involve one car rear-ending another. He says there’s already been a death in the spring construction season. He says there was one fatality in the Des Moines area. Dickinson says we’ve averaged eight work zone deaths in recent years, and they hope to beat the odds this year.
