In a new highway work zone study conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and HCSS, 60 percent of respondents reported at least one crash in the past year involving a moving vehicle at highway work zones where they operate. Nearly one-third of firms reported experiencing five or more crashes during the past year.
Motorists are almost twice as likely to die in a work zone crash as construction workers, according to the results of the study. AGC officials and contractors said the new data highlights the need for stronger work zone safety laws and better enforcement.
“Every day tens of thousands of Americans work alongside our highways, often with little more between them and rushing traffic than an orange barrel,” said Jeffrey D. Shoaf, AGC’s Chief Executive Officer. “These workers are counting on the traveling public to slow down and pay attention, but too often, the public is letting them down.”
Among the respondents who reported experiencing a work zone crash, 30 percent experienced crashes that resulted in injury to construction workers, but 71 percent reported experiencing a crash in which drivers or passengers were injured.
Work zone crashes are nearly twice as likely to result in fatalities to drivers or passengers as construction workers. Thirteen percent of contractors in the survey reported that construction workers were killed in work zone crashes, while 24 percent of survey respondents reported drivers or passengers killed in those crashes.
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“Work zone safety must continue to be a focus for our industry,” said Steve McGough, President and CEO of HCSS. “Zero deaths and serious injuries is the only acceptable outcome.”
Shoaf noted that 47 percent of contractors reported that highway work zones are more dangerous than they were a year ago. Another 51 percent said the risks are the same as a year ago. He noted, however, that 36 percent of contractors reported that the current penalties for moving violations in highway work zones are not sufficient to deter unsafe driving behavior. Another 39 percent said that while the penalties might be sufficient, enforcement is not.
Two-thirds of survey respondents want states to pass stricter laws against cell phone usage and distracted driving in work zones, and 54 percent want automated enforcement in those zones.
“Too few drivers see the need to slow down and pay attention in work zones because too few states have made work zone safety a priority,” Shoaf said.
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The association is pushing Congress to require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to collect comprehensive data on work zone crashes, including who is killed or injured in those crashes, and to require states to create plans to reduce work zone crashes.
AGC is also working with its network of chapters to push for better enforcement and education measures at the state level.
The work zone safety study was based on a nationwide survey of highway construction firms in April and May 2025. Over 600 contractors completed the survey. Complete survey results and a new video urging motorists to slow down and stay alert in work zones are available at agc.org/2025-agc-hcss-highway-work-zone-safety-survey.
