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Top 7 Tips for Construction Zone Safety

Florida has one of the highest numbers of deaths in construction zones in the U.S. In this article, Gainesville and Ocala accident attorney, Jeffrey Meldon, discusses what you can do to do your part to help assure construction zone safety for drivers and workers. Here are his top 7 work zone safety tips:

  1. Follow the traffic signs and do not speed! Speeding, failing to timely merge or change lanes, and driving on the shoulder to bypass traffic jams may lead not only to fines of up to $1000 and increased insurance premiums, but also to fatal accidents and severe injuries. In fact, speeding is found to be the cause of over 50% of work zone crashes.
  2. Avoid cell phone use and other driving distractions in a work zone! – Be Alert and Pay Attention! Distractions causing driver inattentiveness can lead to failing to slow down or stay within the lanes in a construction zone where road workers and emergency officials are performing their duties in close proximity to traffic.
  3. Do Not Tailgate or blindly follow a car in front of you! Unexpected stops frequently occur in work zones; in addition, some drivers may decide not to follow the traffic signs or rules. Always follow a flag person or the posted sign.
  4. Timely merge before the work zone at appropriate speeds! Late lane merging at high speeds is another factor in construction zone accidents. The number of lanes is usually reduced in a construction zone, so waiting until the last minute to merge may be impossible: the traffic flow may be slow, and a motorist who is driving at a high speed may not be able to merge or to brake on time.
  5. Turn on your headlights and use appropriate turning signals! It is important that workers other drivers can clearly see you.
  6. Pay attention to any emergency vehicle with their lights on by the side of the road! In this case, drivers must move over one lane away from the emergency vehicle if possible, if it is not possible to move over, drivers must slow down to 20 mph below the posted speed limit.
  7. Avoid changing lanes in a construction zone! Unless it is necessary to avoid an accident, it is safer to stay in one lane while driving through a work zone.

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We at Meldon Law strongly believe that public education is the first step in the prevention of an accident or in the recovery from one.

We are experienced personal injury attorneys, trial attorneys, negotiators, litigators, paralegals, and staff that have been proudly working to get accident victims the justice they deserve for over 40 years in Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Inverness, and the rest of North Central Florida and North Florida. Accidents involving a car crash, truck wreck, and motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accidents, dog bites, slip and falls, medical malpractice, and criminal defense are all included in our practice.

Based on Jeffrey Meldon’s, founder of Meldon Law, over 40 years of helping accident victims get justice and a fair shake from the insurance companies, he has written the consumer guide book, Seven Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Florida Accident Case. You can request your free, no obligation copy right now, or contact our office for your complimentary copy sent to you today.

Contact Meldon Law at 800-373-8000 immediately if you have been involved in a serious auto, truck, or motorcycle accident. We are in your community, have the experience and resources required to work towards obtaining a fair settlement for you – we are here to help you.

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