Construction industry says speeding drivers common at work sites

The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association (SHCA) says aggressive drivers are common within orange zones in the province.

The industry association’s president Shantel Lipp reacted to an incident at a construction site on Monday near Maymont with dread. A driver was caught on video speeding through the pylons, nearly hitting workers before getting into a crash himself.

“Your heart kind of pounds a little bit faster because you just hope that there isn’t a fatality at the end of the situation,” Lipp said.

Lipp says most people realize workers are simply there to do their jobs. But there are still drivers who are impatient “because they want to get to point A to point B as fast as they possibly can.”

She says drivers become frustrated because they don’t understand why speed limits are reduced with seemingly no workers around.

That practice happens by design, to get drivers thinking about safety first before they encounter any workers.

“They’re slowing you down to get you into the mindset that you’re actually in a work zone. You’re in a construction zone with equipment, people standing on a yellow line holding a flagging sign. Vehicles in the work zone moving back and forth, and it’s a dangerous place,” Lipp said.

Public education is needed, she says, “to try and get the public to wrap their head around that you’re in somebody’s place of work.”

“I want them to understand that these people have families,” she continued. “They’re just out there doing a job. The job they do is important. It keeps you safe as a driver. So please just be patient, be respectful and abide by the speed limits.”

The SHCA works with the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Safety Association to train workers for what to expect at a job site, Lipp says. The training includes what to do when a dangerous situation arises and she praised the workers for keeping each other safe.

“The minute that they see something funny happening within the zone, they immediately radio ahead, so that the project manager, the engineer on-site and the other workers are aware that there’s something coming their way,” she said. “They can either divert the driver, try and get him to pull over or call the RCMP.”