Tag: Highway Safety

New W.Va. Speeding Enforcement Campaign Begins Friday

A targeted, high visibility speeding enforcement campaign will begin this Friday and run through the end of July.

A targeted, high visibility speeding enforcement campaign will begin this Friday and run through the end of July. With the number of statewide highway and bridge construction projects increasing throughout the state, Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday that work zone traffic will be a targeted priority. 

The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program has teamed up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the effort.  

In 2022, the West Virginia Department of Transportation recorded 800 crashes in work zones across the state that killed eight people and left 276 injured. 

Justice said “If you don’t slow down, you’ll get written up.”

“If you’re absolutely out there and are one of those workers,” Justice said. “And you’ve got somebody coming at 85 or 90 miles an hour, and you’re three feet away from me, how fair is that?”

This campaign follows a recent series of West Virginia work zone safety initiatives, one that began with the paving season, and one that targeted a I-64 work zone project in Cabell County.

Justice said to expect that the latest speeding enforcement campaign would extend into August.

Travelers Reminded To Buckle Up During Holiday Travel

As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, state officials are advising travelers on state roads to keep safety in mind. 

As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, state officials are advising travelers on state roads to keep safety in mind. 

Around 600,000 vehicles are expected to travel on the West Virginia Turnpike Thursday through Monday.

The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program reminds drivers and passengers to buckle their seat belt during the Click It or Ticket high visibility enforcement campaign and every day of the year.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s national seat belt enforcement mobilization runs through June 4.

In 2021, 280 people lost their lives on West Virginia roads. Passenger vehicle fatalities totaled 184 people, with 74 of them confirmed as being unbuckled/unrestrained.

West Virginia’s seat belt use rate climbed to 92.5 percent in 2022, the highest use rate recorded in West Virginia. 

At the current seat belt use rate, preliminary data shows unbuckled West Virginians are 18.21 times more likely to die in a crash than those who are properly restrained.

Renewed Focus On Highway Safety After Snow Plow Driver Injuries

The West Virginia Division of Highways is reminding drivers to be careful after two plow drivers were injured in separate accidents Monday morning.

The West Virginia Division of Highways is reminding drivers to be careful after two plow drivers were injured in separate accidents Monday morning.

Just before 5 a.m. Monday in Taylor County, a plow rolled over while a driver was spot treating the road. In Wood County, two vehicles slid into a WVDOH plow truck on I-77.

Both drivers were transported to local hospitals for treatment of their injuries.

The incidents come amidst an increase in motor vehicle crash deaths across the country, and the Department of Transportation reminds the public of the importance of keeping everyone safe in work zones by keeping “Heads up; Phones down!”

Specific to the winter season, they advise drivers to:

  • Slow down when following a snowplow.
  • Don’t follow too closely. If you can’t see the snowplow’s mirrors, the driver can’t see you.
  • If a snowplow is spreading material, keep well back. Bouncing salt or other ice control material can damage your vehicle.
  •  If you have to pass a snowplow, make sure the driver can see you. If a plow is approaching from the other direction, move as far to the right as is safe.

  • In snow and ice, stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. If you have to drive, leave early, drive slowly, and keep your headlights on at all times.

More Truck Inspections on W. Va. Roads

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The West Virginia Public Service Commission plans to increase commercial vehicle inspections on roads considered as high crash…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The West Virginia Public Service Commission plans to increase commercial vehicle inspections on roads considered as high crash areas. 

  • One-year enforcement effort will run through September 2015.
  • Funded with a $180,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
  • grant will give PSC officers more hours on the road.

The FMCSA grant is targeted at roadways that are considered “high crash areas.”
Target areas include:

·       Route 33 in Barbour, Lewis, Randolph and Upshur Counties

·       U.S. 460 in Mercer County

·       Route 52 in Mingo, Wayne, Logan, Cabell and McDowell Counties

·       U.S. Route 19 in Braxton, Fayette, Nicholas and Raleigh Counties

·       U.S. Routes 35 & 817 in Putnam and Mason Counties

·       W.V. Turnpike/I-77 in Kanawha, Raleigh, Fayette and Mercer Counties

·       I-77 in Wood and Jackson Counties

·       I-81 in Berkeley County

·       I-70 in Ohio County

·       I-79 in Monongalia, Marion and Harrison Counties

·       Statewide enforcement on roads affected by Marcellus Shale drilling traffic

 
 

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