Work Zone Fatalities, Injuries, & Crashes
Between 2013 and 2023, work zone fatalities increased 50 percent. In 2023, over 898 work zone fatalities were recorded. 9 Stated another way, 898 work zone fatalities is the equivalent of 5 commercial domestic airliners. In 2021, over 105,000 work zone crashes were estimated to have occured resulting in over 42,000 injuries. 8, Stated another way, 42,000 injuries is about the capacity of a football stadium.
Damages and losses from work zone crashes are estimated to reach over $38.9 billion annually (2025 dollars, comprehensive crash costs). 28, 29, 43 Cost savings from reducing the number crashes by implementing Positive Protection devices & barrier separation in work zones can be estimated at over $3.8-$8.9 billion annually (10%-23% of work zone crash costs, 2025 dollars). 42 Stated another way, $3.8 to $8.9 billion in annual cost savings is equivalent to 7 to 17 transportation "Major Projects". 47
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, work zone crashes & fatalities climbed despite lower traffic volumes. 20, 21, 22, 23, 32, 33 For the first half of 2021, USDOT estimated another 18.4% surge in traffic fatalities over 2020 and the largest number of traffic fatalities since 2006. 35 In 2021, TxDOT reported that work zone fatalities in fact surged 33%. 36 For the first quarter of 2022, USDOT estimated a record increase in fatalities nationwide. 38 In early 2024, the Governor's Highway Safety Association (GHSA) found that the U.S. pedestrian fatality rate has jumped 48% from a decade ago. 34 In 2025, alarmingly, a number of road rage incidents towards highway workers have been reported. 52
Work zone intrusions pose a significant hazard to highway workers.
In a 2025 AGC survey, most highway contractors (60%) reported crashes into their work zones.
[51]
In 2025, 43 percent of highway contractors also reported that work zone crashes resulted in worker injuries or fatalities.
[51]
In a 2024 survey of one state DOT's highway workers, "[t]he most cited [safety] concern by most respondents was getting struck by vehicular traffic."
53
"In 2015, 35 percent of all highway worker fatalities at road construction sites resulted from a vehicle striking a worker. By 2021, this alarming figure had increased to 63 percent" notes Laborers' Health & Safety Fund of North America (LHSFNA).
44
Highway Workers died on the job 3.7 times more often than the average American worker & 19 times more often than Engineering & Office/Administrative workers each year.
39,40
A prior study found that 38% of "Pedestrian" fatalities in work zones were highway workers (i.e. road construction/maintenance workers, utility workers, and planning/surveying workers).
"Injuries [from stuck by incidents] range from contusions and lacerations to fractures, crushing, and fatalities."
"Most injuries [to pedestrians] arising from these vehicle and ground impacts in adults are trauma to the head, legs and pelvis., tibial plateau fractures and ligamentous injuries of the knee, as well as traumatic brain injuries, are all common."
"[T]he most common cause of death of pedestrians is head injuries...Among all concurrent injuries, lower extremity/pelvic injuries were observed in 216 patients (23.56%)... Over one-third of pedestrians had 4 simultaneous injuries, with an average cost of $243,992 [2023 dollars], which was 1.6 times more than the cost of a pedestrian with only one injured part"
More motorists and road workers are being killed or injured in preventable work zone crashes. Tunnel, culvert, bridge repair work zones, etc. are known to be especially hazardous with high-speed traffic moving in close proximity to employees, roadside hazards, and/or little or no means for employees to escape from errant moving vehicles.
Traffic speed is also a known hazard to highway workers. 2023 NHTSA FARS data indicates that the speed limit was 45 mph or less for 40% of pedestrian fatalities inside work zones. 9 A December 2024 IIHS study found that during an impact with a modern taller SUVs and pickup, pedestrians (i.e. workers on foot) are at very high risk. When struck by a median U.S. pickup, a highway worker has an 85% likelihood of severe injury at just 33 mph and an 85% likelihood of dying at just 45 mph. [50] The thresold for a "safe" crash speed (risk of serious injury is 10% or less as commonly quoted in literature) occurred at about 15 mph for pedestrians (i.e. workers on foot).[50]
“As crash speed increases from 15 mph to 35 mph, the risk of a serious injury [for a pedestrian] goes from 9% to 52% when a median-height car is involved. With a median pickup, the risk [of a serious injury for a pedestrian] shoots up from 11% to 91% [as crash speed increases from 15 mph to 35 mph]... The findings point to the need for policymakers and traffic engineers to account for the makeup of the U.S. fleet. A commonly used benchmark for a 'safe' crash speed is one at which the risk of serious injury is 10% or less.”
A single work zone intrusion can have high consequence outcomes (e.g. multiple employee deaths, severe long-term employee injuries, project delays, damaged/totaled equipment, rework, and/or liability).
"There’s no ‘pretty close’ when it comes to safety on the job. Almost safe means something needs to be corrected immediately before someone gets hurt or killed."
Fortunately, Positive Protection barriers can be used to directly control these hazards to highway workers, who are among the most "Vulnerable Road Users". The USDOT Safe System Approach (based in part on the "Hierarchy of Controls" protocol) emphasizes that "Death/Serious Injury is Unacceptable" and "Safety is Proactive" (e.g. implementing Positive Protection barriers proactively).
"Focus on the hierarchy of controls (risk treatments) to design a workplace where pedestrian employees do not encounter moving vehicles, materials and similar hazards."
Federal law (23 CFR 630.1108(a)) and ANSI standards (A10.47-2021 §4.4) specify types of projects (e.g. tunnels, bridges, drop-offs, etc.) which require require Positive Protection devices & barrier separation in work zones. Positive Protection are devices placed "between workers and motorized traffic" which function to "contain and/or redirect vehicles" and which meet applicable crashworthiness criteria (see 23 U.S.C. § 112(g) and 23 C.F.R. § 630.1104).
MASH certified traffic barriers placed between workers and motorized traffic (i.e. Positive Protection) offer state-of-the-art safety for workers and motorists by physically preventing (i.e. containing and/or redirecting) high-speed motorized vehicles from colliding with workers and other dangerous obstacles inside a work zone. In a national survey, 89% of highway contractors think Positive Protection would help improve safety and prevent these horrific crashes. 4 Speaking up about work zone safety issues could reduce risk & save a life.
"It is difficult to change the behavior of motorists...But we can and must institute protective measures like positive barriers and other available controls."
In 2015, Congress directed FHWA to "do all within its power to protect workers in highway work zones." 45 Federal law and ANSI Standard A10.47-2021 (§4.4) identify types of projects that require Positive Protection barriers. For such projects, a “separate pay item” for positive protection is required under federal law and regulations. 1, 11 The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) amends the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) to increase funding & protection for "Vulnerable Road Users", which includes "highway workers on foot". 41 In 2021, USDOT set the value of a single life (VSL) at $11.8 million dollars. 13, 37
In 2021, California launched its award-winning Caltrans Positive Protection Program which directs Caltrans design engineers and Contractors to use Positive Protection to ensure worker safety. California research found a cost benefit for highly mobile barrier of $1.9 million per year, per barrier in 2008 ($2.87 million in 2025 dollars). 14
Today, we have the technology, 'know how', and responsibility to protect highway workers from errant vehicles by implementing Positive Protection barriers.
"...safety, health, and well-being are inherent rights of every worker."
"If a work zone has 'no means of escape' from motorized traffic, then no operating speed is truly safe. An unprotected worker who cannot escape faces serious injury from motor vehicles at any speed, even walking speeds... One study cited by FHWA show[ed] that the risk of a pedestrian crash fatality reaches 45% at 30 mph and 85% at 40 mph, and another study estimat[ed] that pedestrians have less than a 50% chance of surviving a crash with a vehicle traveling 30 mph or above... The risks posed to road workers will likely further increase as the size of vehicles in the U.S. continues to grow larger. According to a recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (“IIHS”) study, the average U.S. passenger vehicle has grown 4 inches wider, 10 inches longer, 8 inches taller, and 1,000 pounds heavier over the past 30 years. Significantly, the IIHS study found that vehicles with higher front ends (pickup trucks, SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than 40 inches) were 44% to 45% more likely to cause fatalities in crashes with pedestrians than smaller cars and trucks. "
"Blaming human error alone is convenient, but it places all Americans in greater danger."
"Motorists will inevitably make mistakes. Too often they pay for their mistakes with their lives – or the lives of innocent bystanders.... We have the technology and 'know how' to build our roadway system to anticipate user error. It can be designed, constructed, equipped, and operated to forgive the errant user and protect the innocent victim."
“A physical barrier provides one of the best possible protection solutions for workers exposed to the flow of traffic. [Implementing Positive Protection] is a common-sense and cost-effective way for safety reform that will prevent death and injuries of workers on roads and highways.”
"We have the technology and 'know how' to build our roadway system to anticipate user error. It can be designed, constructed, equipped, and operated to forgive the errant user and protect the innocent victim."
2025 Contractor Reported Work Zone Crashes, Project Delays, Injuries, & Fatalities
The Associated General Contractors of America's (AGC) 2025 nationwide study on highway work zone safety reveals that 60% of highway contractors reported work zone crashes over the last year. As a result of these work zone crashes, 60% of firms reported project delays, 13% reported worker fatalities, 30% reported worker injuries, 24% reported public fatalities, and 61% reported public injuries. 98% of highway contractors also reported that the risk of highway work zone crashes is as great or greater than a year ago. [51]
In 2025, 60% of Highway Contractors Reported Crashes
into their Construction Work Zones
AGC Study - Outcomes of Work Zone Crashes
51,
(Mouseover data points for details.)
The 2019 AGC study revealed that an increasing percentage of contractors believe Positive Protection would improve safety on their projects.
- 89% of contractors report that increased use of Positive Protection barriers would help reduce injuries and fatalities on their projects. 4
Estimated National Work Zone Crashes & Injuries 8
The number of crashes in work zones and injuries resulting from those crashes has been increasing.
- In 2021, an estimated 105,000 crashes and 42,000 injuries were estimated to have occurred in work zones.
Estimated Work Zone Crashes and Resulting Injuries*
* Estimated Work Zone Crashes & Injuries Data are obtained from NHTSA statistical models (NASS/GES & CRSS). The NHTSA statistical models underestimate work zone crash fatalities by as much as 64% in 2019 (see Table 1 below). In general, the NHTSA FARS & CRSS crash report datasets underreport work zone crashes as well as resulting injuries and fatalities (see note †).
Table 1. NHTSA CRSS Statistical Model Percent Error:| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded Fatalities (FARS) |
701 | 781 | 806 | 754 | 842 | 857 | 954 |
| Estimated Fatalities (CRSS Statistical Model) |
349 | 525 | 597 | 636 | 298 | 478 | 714 |
| Percent Error (of CRSS Statistical Model) |
-50% | -32% | -26% | -15% | -64% | -44% | -33% |
National Work Zone Crash Fatalities 9
Work zone crash fatalities have been on the rise nationally.
- 50% increase in fatalities since 2013.
Fatalities Resulting from Work Zone Crashes†
†
In general, the NHTSA FARS & GES/CRSS crash report datasets underreport work zone crashes as well as resulting injuries and fatalities.
The statistic for fatalities resulting from work zone crashes is obtained from NHTSA FARS dataset which attempts to aggregate various state police crash report datasets.
However, crashes occurring inside work zones are not always properly classified by police as work zone related.
A cursory glance of NHTSA FARS data in 2018 quickly reveals examples of missed fatalities resulting from work zone crashes. A number of studies confirm that work zone crashes are underreported in crash report datasets.
31
Pedestrian Fatalities in Work Zones
Pedestrian fatalities inside work zones encompass both workers and members of the public. A review of NHTSA FARS data confirmed that 38% of pedestrian fatalities inside work zones occurred while working in 2018. In 2023, 176 pedestrians were struck and killed inside a work zone. 9 "In 2015, 35 percent of all highway worker fatalities at road construction sites resulted from a vehicle striking a worker. By 2021, this alarming figure had increased to 63 percent" notes Laborers' Health & Safety Fund of North America (LHSFNA). 44
"So what can help protect against intrusions?... It is difficult to change the behavior of motorists...But we can and must institute protective measures like positive barriers and other available controls."
A single work zone intrusion can have high consequence outcomes (e.g. multiple employee deaths, severe long-term employee injuries, project delays, damaged/totaled equipment, rework, and/or litigation). Tunnel, culvert, bridge repair work zones, etc. are known to be extremely hazardous with high-speed traffic moving in close proximity to employees, roadside hazards, and/or little or no means for employees to escape from errant moving vehicles. Traffic speed is another well-known hazard to highway workers. 2023 NHTSA FARS data indicates that the speed limit was 45 mph or less for 40% of pedestrian fatalities inside work zones. 9 A December 2024 IIHS study found that during an impact with a modern taller SUVs and pickup, pedestrians are at very high risk. When struck by a median U.S. pickup, a highway worker has an 85% likelihood of severe injury at just 33 mph and an 85% likelihood of dying at just 45 mph. [50]
“As crash speed increases from 15 mph to 35 mph, the risk of a serious injury [for a pedestrian] goes from 9% to 52% when a median-height car is involved. With a median pickup, the risk [of a serious injury for a pedestrian] shoots up from 11% to 91% [as crash speed increases from 15 mph to 35 mph]... The findings point to the need for policymakers and traffic engineers to account for the makeup of the U.S. fleet. A commonly used benchmark for a 'safe' crash speed is one at which the risk of serious injury is 10% or less.”
"Pedestrian involvement in fatal work zone crashes overall does not appear to be overrepresented on facilities in urban areas but is on minor arterials and collectors/local roads in rural areas. Given the low pedestrian involvement in non-work zone crashes on these facilities in general, it is likely that the overrepresentation reflects collisions with highway workers on foot on these facilities. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, 45 percent of all worker fatalities at road construction sites involve a vehicle striking a worker on foot [2019]."
Work zone pedestrian fatalities are often assumed to be members of the public who have fallen into complacency walking a routine route. However, in 2018, a review of NHTSA FARS data confirmed that 38% of pedestrian fatalities in work zones were actually on the job and primarily engaged in road work, utility work, and planning/surveying.
Work activities at the time of death include activities such as installing traffic signs, reopening a lane, flagging, picking up debris, replacing damaged concrete, paving operations, exiting a work vehicle, utility work, construction labor, DOT electrical work, DOT maintenance work, fence contracting, repairing guardrail, stringing cable guard rail, and repairing a bridge.
Based on a review of each work zone pedestrian fatality, it is found that
- Activity: Many Pedestrian Fatalities in Work Zones occurred while working (38%, 46 of 122).
- Work Activity: The majority of Working Pedestrian Fatalities in Work Zones were engaged in road work, utility work, planning/surveying (87%, 40 of 46 Working Pedestrians).
- Work Hazard: The majority of Working Pedestrian Fatalities in Work Zones were killed by motorist incursions (80%, 37 of 46 Working Pedestrians)
- Location: Few Pedestrian Fatalities in Work Zones occurred at/near intersections (15%, 18 of 122).
38% of Pedestrian Work Zone Fatalities occured while working.
Primary Activity of the 122 Pedestrian Work Zone Fatalities (2018)
87% of Working Pedestrians were engaged in Road Work, Utility Work, or Planning/Surveying.
Work Activity of the 46 Working Pedestrians in Work Zones (2018)
Road Work activities at the time of death include activities such as installing traffic signs, reopening a lane, flagging, picking up debris, replacing damaged concrete, paving operations, exiting a work vehicle, utility work, construction labor, DOT electrical work, DOT maintenance work, fence contracting, repairing guardrail, stringing cable guard rail, and repairing a bridge.
Methodology
Fatality data was obtained from the 2018 NHTSA FARS dataset 9 . Accident and Person datafiles were joined on ‘ST_CASE’ and filtered by ‘WRK_ZONE’>=1 (ACCIDENT file records a work zone), ‘INJ_SEV’==4 (PERSON file records a fatality for that person), and ‘PER_TYP’==5 (Person type recorded as Pedestrian). Each fatality was then categorized by Activity, Location, Work Type, and Work Hazard based on FARS, News Article, & OSHA case record information.