19 April 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — If you like scary stories, ask a Kansas highway worker for one. They will have some wild tales of close calls they’ve had while standing next to speeding traffic.
As part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) posted a video of workers talking about careless and dangerous things they’ve seen drivers do.
KDOT shared the video with us so we can share it with you.
First, the workers were asked what they have seen drivers do that they shouldn’t be doing in a work zone.
“One guy was actually reading the newspaper while he was going through there. Another guy … was playing the trumpet,” Robert Robinson, Altamont highway maintenance supervisor, said.
“Somebody with their leg up, you know, by the door, going through the work zone — I’ve seen that before,” Tim Frederiksen, equipment operator, said.
“They’re getting as close to the cones as they can so they can knock them down,” Gerald Hammerschmidt, Hays training coordinator, said. “The semi drivers are really bad about that. They like to take them out just as fast as we put them up.”
“I had a guy in a work zone, blew right by the flagger, and we got him stopped … laptop was open in the passenger seat, papers all over. He hadn’t seen the signs. He didn’t see the flagger,” Mike Jones, Beloit equipment operator, said.
“When you have people not obeying the speed limit signs, when you see a trucker going by texting, it can pump a lot of fear into your heart,” Bobbie Brooks, engineering technician, said.
The workers were also asked what motorists should do. The general advice is to slow down, pay attention, and stay off phones.
“I preach to my kids. You see an orange sign of any sort or cones. You got to slow down,” Miguel Ibarra, Larned equipment operator, said.
“Maybe something like this video will help people realize that you just don’t think about how fast you’re going when you go by someone that’s walking,” Jerry Linot, Kansas Turnpike Authority, said.