“The worst thing you can hear is that ‘bump, bump, bump’ when someone hits a cone,” said Preston Hurlbert as he watched a dark sedan navigate through an active cone zone on the southeast side of Colorado Springs. Hurlbert was speaking from experience.
He paused to count the number of times he’d been hit by a car or truck.
“One was my fault,” he said. He couldn’t remember the number of near misses he’d had – there have been too many.
Hurlbert, who has worked in the Colorado Springs Utilities Barricades Department for years, thinks in many cases, it’s a matter of distracted driving.
“Our trucks get hit like crazy and they’re all lit up,” he said, gesturing to one of the large vehicles pulled off to the side of the road. “They’re super visible, and people drive right into them.”
He shook his head.
“I look and they’re staring down at their phones.”
In Colorado, text messaging while driving is prohibited. But drivers are allowed to use their devices for voice calls.
That can be dangerous at any time behind the wheel, but in a construction zone, motorists also must be aware of equipment, changes to road alignment, and – most importantly, workers.
“We understand folks are busy and trying to get to where they’re going,” said Mike Myers, manager of Safety and Health for Springs Utilities. He knows that construction season can be frustrating for people on the roads – but he’s also seen people get hurt.
“Our best resource is our employees,” Myers said. “And they have families just like you do.”
Unfortunately, we have seen an uptick in incidents on the road over the last few years. So far in 2023, Myers said he knows of six documented Safety & Health incidents that have caused damage to our infrastructure or our fleet of vehicles.
“In the last six months, we’ve had an employee get hit,” Hurlbert said. Thankfully, that employee is now doing well and has returned to work.
And while this work cannot be avoided – infrastructure maintenance is a must – accidents in work zones can.
“Be attentive when driving through,” Myers said.
You’ll have many opportunities to practice safe driving – the number of cone zones surrounding planned and unplanned work areas will likely number in the hundreds this summer alone.
Stay alert.
“There should be proper signage throughout work zones. Please slow down.”
