Truck Talk: Work Zone Safety

Work zones on Kentucky interstates are among the most dangerous locations on any highway, and commercial trucks are a major contributor to the crashes that happen in them. Narrowed lanes, reduced speeds, shifting traffic patterns, and the presence of workers close to traffic create a combination of hazards that demand extra caution from every driver. When truck drivers fail to slow down, maintain safe distances, or pay attention in active work zones, the results are often fatal.

How Dangerous Are Work Zone Crashes

Work zone crashes represent a serious and growing public safety problem. In 2023, over 898 people were killed in work zone crashes nationally, and over 101,000 work zone crashes were estimated to have occurred, resulting in more than 40,000 injuries, according to work zone safety data. Between 2013 and 2023, work zone fatalities increased by 50 percent. Commercial motor vehicles were involved in 246 fatal work zone crashes in 2022 alone, according to FHWA work zone statistics, representing roughly 30 percent of all fatal work zone crashes.

Federal Rules for Trucks in Work Zones

Commercial drivers must comply with all posted work zone speed limits and traffic control devices under 49 CFR Part 392.2, which requires adherence to all state and local traffic laws. Work zone speed limits in Kentucky are enforced with doubled fines and, in active construction zones with workers present, can carry criminal penalties for violations that result in injury or death under Kentucky law. Drivers must also maintain adequate following distances given the reduced reaction time available in narrowed lane configurations.

Common Causes of Work Zone Truck Crashes

Truck crashes in work zones typically fall into a handful of patterns:

• Rear-end collisions: drivers failing to slow for backed-up traffic ahead of a work zone
• Lane drift: trucks drifting into closed lanes or striking temporary barriers and cones
• Worker strikes: trucks entering the work area and striking highway workers on foot
• Speeding: ignoring reduced speed limits through active construction zones

The FHWA notes that speeding was a factor in 34 percent of fatal work zone crashes in 2022. Rear-end collisions accounted for 21 percent. Both types are directly attributable to driver inattention and failure to adjust for work zone conditions.

Active Kentucky Work Zones and High-Risk Areas

Kentucky’s major interstate reconstruction projects create extended work zones that drivers encounter regularly. Construction and widening projects along I-65 between Louisville and Elizabethtown, I-64 improvements through Jefferson County, and ongoing bridge work on I-75 near the Tennessee border create conditions where a distracted or speeding truck driver poses an elevated threat to both other motorists and construction workers. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet maintains a list of active work zone locations, and carriers with routes through these areas have an obligation to brief their drivers on specific hazard locations.

Liability in Work Zone Crashes

When a truck crashes in a work zone, multiple parties may be responsible. The carrier and driver face liability for failing to follow speed limits and traffic control devices. If the work zone was inadequately signed or the traffic control plan was deficient, the contractor or the government agency responsible for the work zone may also bear responsibility. Attorney Jon Hollan has noted that work zone crash cases often require reviewing both the carrier’s conduct and the adequacy of the work zone setup itself, which are separate but related inquiries. For a full overview of how commercial truck cases are built, see our truck accident practice page.

Highway Workers and the Specific Risk of Struck-By Crashes

Highway construction and maintenance workers face a distinct and severe version of the work zone crash risk. Between 2013 and 2023, the share of highway worker fatalities caused by vehicles striking workers at road construction sites rose from 35 percent to 63 percent, according to data cited by the work zone safety clearinghouse. Commercial trucks, because of their size, create a higher lethality when they strike workers in the road zone. When a highway worker is killed or seriously injured by a truck in a Kentucky work zone, the worker or their family may have claims against the truck carrier under Kentucky tort law, in addition to any workers’ compensation claims available through their employer.

Motorists injured in work zone crashes face similar questions about carrier liability, and in some cases, additional questions about the adequacy of the work zone configuration itself. Temporary traffic control plans that fail to provide adequate advance warning or that place workers too close to live lanes without adequate protection can involve additional defendants beyond the truck driver and carrier. Attorney Jon Hollan has noted that work zone cases often require reviewing both the driver’s conduct and the overall design of the work zone, which means looking at both trucking regulations under the FMCSA and highway engineering standards from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

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