The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and police make a big deal of speeding in work zones and cell phone use in work zones, and with good reason. Neither is mentioned in reports of yesterday's fatal accident on U.S. 14, just west of Ill. Route 47 in Woodstock.
An IDOT worker was killed by a westbound car on Monday morning. That roadway was recently repaved, and there are no construction barrels or warning signs there.
According to press information provided to the Northwest Herald, but not posted on the police department's website, Woodstock Police said that the IDOT worker was not in a construction zone. He was measuring the width of the roadway.
That probably had to do with planned painting of new lane lines on the resurfaced roadway.
Later in this morning's article an IDOT spokesman is quoted as having said that the worker's "...death marked the first work zone fatality involving a worker this year."
Police have already cited the 67-year-old driver for failure to use due care with a pedestrian "and further charges are pending on the results of blood work." I note that the police did not say "may" be filed. The words were "are pending". That's rather ominous.
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Interesting also is that the Northwest Herald just pulled that story from the comments section. That intersection had no signage at the time this occurred as I had just traveled throught 14 and 47 to work. Also no workers were present with flags etc. at that time. The police most likely would not have ordered tox screens if they did not have some reason to suspect that the driver was impaired in some way. Hmmmmm......
The 'workplace deaths' numbers the state uses are routinely inflated.In recent years highway workers deaths included workers who drowned in boating accidents. They weren't on the job but hey, they were road workers and they died. More likely than not it helps justify the high fines (revenue). Does Illinois still set up phony work areas, where no work is being done and no workers are present, just to generate revenue?
Oh, for sure. And the work zones are in effect 24/7. They used to be "when workers are present" or "when (warning) lights are flashing". Now? Even if it's a long holiday week-end, 45MPH is the speed limit in a work zone -day or night, Sat., Sun, Mon., rain or shine. No wonder drivers ignore the speed limit signs. Ka-ching....
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