State to enforce construction zone driver rules
Dana King remembers every moment about the day she learned her 21-yearold son Alex had been hit and killed while working at a construction site in Butler County.
King remembers what she was wearing and what she ate for breakfast on June 7, 2021. “I remember the feeling of terror when I was told Alex was hurt and nobody could tell me if he was OK.”
Alex King loved his family and his pet boxer named Sadie. He loved to fish and loved his new truck. Now, his mother is pleading with drivers to pay more attention while driving in construction zones.
“All I can ask of you is that you please slow down. Pay attention. Put your phone down and realize these accidents happen in a split second,” Dana King said. “One small distraction can cause a lifetime of devastation.”
Now, Ohio is stepping up enforcement of traffic violations in construction zones this summer − an active time for both construction and crashes.
Ohio State Highway Patrol will focus on 10 locations statewide, issuing tickets and educating drivers about the dangers of speeding and distractions in those areas. They will use motorcycles, helicopters and their vehicles to monitor poor driving. Federal money is helping to pay for troopers’ overtime.
“They are inherently dangerous jobs,” Gov. Mike DeWine said of road construction crews. “We don’t have to make them more dangerous. We’re trying to make them safer.”
The locations that will see an increase in enforcment include: Interstate 70 in Muskingum County.
Interstate 75 in Montgomery County, Auglaize County and Hancock County.
Interstate 77 in Summit County. Interstate 475 and Interstate 280 in Lucas County.
Interstate 90 in Cuyahoga County. Ohio 32 in Brown County. Interstate 71 in Clinton and Fayette counties.
The Ohio Department of Transportation is also using rumble strips to slow down workers on Interstate 75 in Dayton and Interstate 70 in Zanesville. ODOT uses electronic signs to alert drivers of slowdowns ahead. So far, the construction in downtown Columbus closing the southbound ramp from state
Route 315 to I-70 had not led to an increase in crashes, ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks said.
Dangers inside construction zones
Since 2019, nearly 26,000 crashes have occurred in Ohio construction zones, resulting in more than 9,000 people injured and 99 deaths.
Construction worker Steve Cook was an only child, but you might not have known it. His coworkers were like family to him, and they would be the last people to see him alive in a construction zone on Interstate 70 west of Columbus.
The 59-year-old husband, father and grandfather died after being struck by an impaired driver in September 2017. His wife, Linda Cook, didn’t have the chance to say goodbye to the love of her life.
“Innocent, hardworking people are being killed while they are on their job,” Linda Cook said. “This is senseless and it needs to stop.”
So far this year, 46 people have been struck in construction zones compared to 56 times for all of 2023, Marchbanks said.
“My goal, my mission is to ask everyone when you arrive at a highway work zone to please be patient and be aware of the surroundings,” Linda Cook said.
What is the Move Over law?
Ohio law requires drivers to move over a lane for police, emergency vehicles, road construction and other vehicles with flashing lights. If the driver can’t shift lanes, they are required to slow down. The law was passed in 1999 and expanded in 2013.
Ohio lawmakers have pitched changes to expand that law. Sen. Steve Wilson, R-Maineville, introduced Senate Bill 178 to require drivers to move over for vehicles stopped on the side of the road with hazard lights on. House Bill 429 from Reps. Gary Click and Mark Johnson, both Republicans, would increase fines for traffic violations in construction zones.
DeWine said he would likely be in favor of efforts to make construction zones more safe. But for now, he hopes this focus on construction zones will act as a deterrent.
“The amount of the fines may be relevant. It may be helpful to increase that,” DeWine said. “The most important thing is the feeling from the driver that when I’m in a construction zone, I may well get a ticket.”
Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.