Following a tragic death on the jobsite, Road Work Ahead has a message for the public

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Road Work Ahead lost a member of their own during Saturday’s tragic accident on Interstate 84 near exit 182, and now they have a plea for the public.

“The main thing is to slow down, slow down and stay off your phones, and make sure that you are aware of your surroundings,” said Kinsey Thatcher, the owner of Road Work Ahead.

Work zones and construction zones are an ever-present sight especially during the summer months, and workers are always going to be present in those areas, which is why it is vital to remain vigilant.

Slow down and follow the detours or road closures, as well as the speed limits or reductions.

“On a normal construction zone, in the very least, we go out in the morning, to make sure none of the devices have been hit or bumped or blown over, depending on how bad our winds are, so we will go out to reset to make sure that all the signs are back up, or the cones are back in the proper place,” said Thatcher.

She says the two main problems that road work ahead employees see is distracted driving and driving too fast for the conditions, especially in construction zones.

“Most of the work zones get lowered to speed limits of 60, sometimes it’s just 70, and sometimes they get down to 65, but we have noticed that people will still go 80, I mean they are going 80, 85, some of the semi-trucks it seems that they have not even slow down. Taking those crossovers, and you know a lot of times with those cones, the lanes seem a little bit more squished, and so you think that they would slow down, but it just seems like the public does not want to be slowed,” said Thatcher.

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