Highway safety tips to remember
By Steve Herring
Published in News on August 6, 2017 1:45 AM
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News-Argus file photo
Millie Bailey holds a replica of the sign dedicating a section of U.S. 70 West in memory of her husband, Grey. She is with her 3-year-old daughters, Lydia, left, and Vera, and Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell.
The cost of failing to heed safety precautions in a highway work zone can be seen in the Grey Bailey Highway sign on U.S. 70 West.
Bailey, 35, a state Department of Transportation employee, died March 23, 2015, after being struck by a car while he was working along U.S. 70 West near Capps Bridge Road.
Over the next two years work will be ongoing on U.S. 117 South with interchanges being built at the highway's intersections with O'Berry Road at Dudley and Country Club Road just north of Mount Olive.
Bailey left behind his wife, Millie, and their two daughters, Lydia and Vera, who were 2 at the time.
During the road dedication in December, 2016, Mrs. Bailey said when family and friends see the sign they could be happy knowing that the dedication also raised awareness to the importance of work zone safety and how important it is for those men and women to make it home safely to their families each day.
In North Carolina, if you injure someone in a crash -- including crashes in work zones -- you are responsible for a person's injuries and any traffic violations that are issued as a result of your involvement in the crash.
If there is a fatality as a result of the crash -- including crashes in work zones -- you could be charged with vehicular manslaughter.
Local district attorneys review each case based on the circumstances and make the decisions whether to bring charges against the driver.
Even though workers might not be present in work zones, motorists should still expect narrowed or closed lanes, traffic shifts and reduced speed limits as well as other conditions that might affect normal travel.
Speeding in designated work zones can result in a penalty of $250, plus court costs.
Keep these tips in mind when traveling through a work zone:
*Stay alert: Dedicate your full attention to the roadway.
*Pay close attention: Signs and work zone flaggers save lives.
*Watch out for road debris.
*Turn on your headlights: Workers and other motorists must see you.
*Don't tailgate.
*Don't speed: Note the posted speed limits in and around a work zone.
*Keep up with the traffic flow.
*Don't change lanes in a work zone.
*Minimize distractions: Avoid changing radio stations and using mobile phones while driving in a work zone.
*Expect the unexpected and keep an eye out for workers and their equipment.
*Be patient and obey posted speed limits: Remember, the work zone crew members are working to improve your future ride. The penalty for speeding through a marked work zone is $250.
*Watch out for road debris.
*Don't drink and drive.
*Use alternate routes, when possible, to avoid traffic congestion.
*Leave early to get a head start on your drive and travel at non-peak times.