Drivers reminded to 'Move Over, Slow Down'

There are 350 work zone accidents on highways each year in Lucas County, with six of those accidents resulting in casualties since 2019, said Lt. Alec Coil, post commander of Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Defiance post.

In an effort to prevent work zone deaths and accidents across the state, the patrol and the Ohio Department of Transportation are once again encouraging drivers and motorcyclists to obey the “Move Over, Slow Down” law, to ensure construction workers make it home safely.

“These folks are doing their jobs,” Lt. Coil said. “They have a family. They’re just trying to get out there and have a safe day and get their job done.”

Construction workers do their best to watch their surroundings but it’s difficult when they also have to focus on the task at hand, said Connor Landerversicht, District 2 engineer for ODOT.

A big challenge for workers on the highway, Mr. Landerversicht said, is drivers using their cell phones.

“There’s a lot of texting and driving,” he said. “A lot of people are on the phone. They’re not paying attention to their surroundings. If you give us that five minutes it takes to drive through the zone, it's safe for us, it’s safe for them. When they’re not fully aware of situations, they may notice that a zone shifts or that a sign is there.”

The campaign rides the coattails of an order by Gov. Mike DeWine to increase work zone protection for workers by having more troopers and motorcycle units patrolling highways across the state, deploying more troopers to monitor work zones, and increasing the use of patrol’s Aviation Unit to spot dangerous drivers from the air.

“We’re happy to work with ODOT,” Lt. Coil said. “It’s something we’ve been doing for many years, and we’re happy to provide them with assistance that they need.”

The increased Highway Patrol presence on highways and work zones has led to workers being significantly safer, he said.

“It helps us out because people are actually slowing down,” Mr. Landerversicht said. “They’re paying attention. We’re not as concerned about getting hit.”

“These are people doing a job,” Lt. Coil said. “They have families, friends, and loved ones. As the motoring public, we just need to do our part and give them a little bit of courtesy.”