LAS VEGAS -- Drivers speeding, hurling insults, and even throwing things at workers. It's just another day on the job for Nevada Department of Transportation crews.
NDOT kicked off Work Zone Safety Awareness Week with new signs, hoping you'll cut them a break on the roads.
No matter what freeway you travel on in the valley, you run into a construction zone one way or another. NDOT crews say it can be a thankless job that can also deadly. Just feet away from drivers speeding past at 70 miles per hour, Amber Dewitt grabs all sorts of debris left on the side of U.S. 95. It's a dangerous job.
"You know the traffic is right there. It's very scary some times, but as long as people slow down for us, it'll be a lot safer," she said.
NDOT wants to keep workers safe with new signs that will grab your attention. They will be around work zones across the valley as part of Work Zone Safety Awareness Week.
"That's just what the campaign is about -- making sure that people do understand that we are people also. We're not there to inconvenience them at all," said Dewitt.
Nevada Highway Patrol says they see all sorts of dangerous drivers hitting the roads, and the problems are even worse in construction zones.
"We as a community need to pay attention to that and slow down and start behaving a little better in these construction zones," said Trooper Jeremie Elliott.
NHP says many driver's either don't know or don't care about Nevada's Move Over law.
"If you see a construction worker or a truck on the side of the road, you need to move over to the left one lane. If you have multiple lanes in that same direction, give them that safety gap," said Trooper Elliott.
Last year, there were 700 work zone crashes in Nevada. A speeding ticket in a construction zone can cost as much as $1,000.
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