This week is Work Zone Awareness Week, a national campaign to remind drivers to slow down and follow posted speed limits when they encounter road work.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Cole Hackett said it doesn’t keep just workers safe.
"Anytime there's cones and barrels, we ask people to slow down and follow the posted speed limits, because they're not there just to protect the workers," Hackett said. "A lot of times there will be lane shifts, things like that where it requires a lower speed for people going through there."
Last year. 857 people were injured and 17 were killed in more than 1,600 Oklahoma work zone crashes. Dozens of Oklahomans have died in work zone crashes in the last 10 years, and many of those accidents happened because drivers were speeding.
Hackett said drivers can expect to see more highway patrol cars on the road this week.
"They will be patrolling our work zones a little bit more often, making sure that people are following the posted speed limits, making sure they're passing through our work zones safely," Hackett said.
ODOT wants drivers to go the speed limit year round, especially throughout the busy construction season that’s just getting started.
