Road worker safety

When we’re driving on the road, it’s up to all of us to protect everyone around us, especially those who are working in construction and emergency vehicles. Everyone has a reason to get home safely, and slowing down helps this.

When you see us slow down and drive safely

For roadworkers, the road is their workplace. They are real people with real families and every worker deserves to get home safe. It is your responsibility as a driver, to slow down and ensure the safety of road workers.

Drive to the posted speed limit

It is the law to slow down to the signed speed limit. Road work speed limits are designed to keep both drivers and road workers safe.

Reduced speed limits are in place around road works and while there are people working along the roadside. You may see temporary speed signs showing lower speed limits when approaching roadworks or other works that are being undertaken. You need to slow to the temporary limit for all works, including those being undertaken by council workers or when people are conducting repairs to infrastructure and powerlines.

When you are approaching any works, you need to observe the signed speed limit and slow down safely. You need to continue driving within the reduced speed limit until you pass a sign indicating a different speed limit. Even when nobody is working on the road there can still be dangers from the work underway that you might not see.

These dangers can include:

• Narrow lane widths
• Barriers very close to traffic lanes
• Deep trenches
• Loose gravel on the road
• Soft road surfaces, or
• Humps and drops in the road.

Some dangers are easy to spot during the day but much harder to see at night. A lower posted speed limit gives you more time to see the danger and avoid a crash.

Road works are crucial to ensuring we can effectively maintain safety and driveability of our roads for many years to come. Keep our road workers safe and slow down, be aware, drive safely and remain respectful.

It’s up to all of us.