GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Department of Transportation says 17 people were killed in work zone crashes last year.
With orange barrel season approaching, safety agencies across the country are participating in National Work Zone Awareness Week which kicks off on Monday. This year’s theme: work zone safety is in your hands.
Preliminary information shows there were 4,908 work zone crashes in Michigan in 2016, up from 4,776 the previous year. Of those crashes, 17 people were killed (up from 15 in 2015) and 75 suffered serious injuries (an increase from 69 in 2015), according to a release from MDOT.
MDOT says most of those crashes could have been prevented.
“The faces of people who are represented by these crash statistics could be any one of us,” State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle said in a release. “Each one of those numbers represents a person who left behind parents, siblings, children, and friends who were devastated by their loss. We all need to work together to bring these numbers down with the ultimate goal of zero deaths on our roadways.”
As part of National Work Zone Awareness Week, officials are asking people to show their support by wearing orange on Wednesday. You can share your photos on social media using the hashtags #Orange4Safety and #NWZAW.