WisDOT, Brown County Sheriff’s Office highlight importance of work zone safety

​​​​ ​Dozens of crashes in WIS 172 work zone caused by inattentive driving​

​​​​​​​Release date: July 20, 2023

Distracted driving in work zones continues to be a problem across the state. In the past four months, nearly 70% of crashes in the WIS 172 work zone, between Green Bay and the village of Bellevue, were caused by distracted driving. Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) today joined the Wisconsin State Patrol, Brown County Sheriff's Office, community leaders and industry partners at a news conference in Bellevue to emphasize the message of safe, responsible driving – especially in work zones.

“Work zones are temporary, but our decisions behind the wheel can make an impact forever," WisDOT Assistant Deputy Secretary Joel Nilsestuen said at the event. “The people who travel on our state's roads are in the driver's seat to make a difference and keep our highway workers and emergency responders safe. A moment of being distracted while driving can result in lives being changed forever. Safe drivers create safe work zones."

Data shows more than 2,000 crashes were recorded in Wisconsin work zones in 2022, resulting in eight deaths and more than 650 injuries. In Wisconsin, work zones include highway construction and rolling maintenance operations as well as emergency response, municipal projects and utility work along local roads.​

More locally in the WIS 172 work zone in Brown County, there have been about 80 crashes since March 2023. In fact, there were 16 crashes in a two-week span. Most of those crashes were caused by inattentive driving.​

​“Drivers are looking down at their phones, seeing that text message or something else, and taking their eyes off the road," Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain said. "​​​In a brief moment a driver looks at a text, the vehicle travels the length of a football field without the driver actually seeing the road in front of them. We are doing our part to keep everyone safe on the roads, but we need drivers to pay attention and avoid distractions."​

Cell phone use is one of the most common factors in distracted driving crashes. Wisconsin law prohibits texting while driving on any road. It is also illegal to use a hand-held mobile device in work zones and in areas surrounding emergency response vehicles with flashing lights. Motorists are urged to buckle up and put their phone down when driving.

Today's event held at the Brown County Sherriff's Office in Bellevue continues WisDOT's season-long campaign to increase work zone safety messaging across the state. WisDOT engages with county highway partners, Wisconsin Counties Association, Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association and others to promote safe driving in work zones.

WisDOT continues to implement innovative solutions to improve work zone safety across the state. At today's event, WisDOT staff demonstrated specialized equipment to keep workers safe, including Queue Warning Systems, which helps communicate speed reductions and backups in work zones. Safety engineers also demonstrated the new worker-worn Guardian Lights and a crash impact attenuator which can lessen the severity of work zone crashes.

​How can people help?

• Drive safely. Be courteous, avoid distractions and obey posted speed limits.
• Leave the phone alone. Texting while driving is illegal statewide and talking on a hand-held mobile device is illegal in work zones.
• Move over, or slow down, when you see workers and vehicles with flashing lights along the highway. Wisconsin's Move Over Law applies to maintenance operations as well as emergency response units.
• Buckle Up, Phone Down. Take the pledge at wisconsindot.gov/BUPD and share your commitment with others. Participants are encouraged to share a thumbs up/thumbs down photo on social media using the hashtag #BuckleUpPhoneDown then challenge friends, family and coworkers to do the same.

​Visit wisconsindot.gov and search "work zone" for more tips and information.