Going green isn’t what you think when it comes to WSDOT safety

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is tired of people plowing into its trucks and work zones, and it’s taking a green new approach to get drivers’ attention.

There were nearly 1,400 crashes in Washington work zones last year. That’s a 5% increase over the year before.  Many drivers say they didn’t even notice the flashing lights before crashing into trucks or through the barrels and cones.

WSDOT workers have begged the state to turn the tide, and spokesperson Barbara LaBoe said the agency is listening. “Our crews have asked for extra protection,” LaBoe said. “We want our crews protected. Unfortunately, we’re still seeing a lot of speeding and erratic and dangerous driving on the highways in general and that translates into work zones as well.”

WSDOT is changing the lighting on about 2,000 rigs to make them more visible. We’re talking dump trucks, utility trucks, snow plows and other rigs that are on the roads all the time.

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LaBoe said new national studies suggest alternating lights are better at getting attention.

“We’re going to have an alternating flashing lights,” she said. “Some of them will alternate between green and yellow and then some will alternate  between yellow and white.”

You’re reading that correctly. Green lights. That’s something drivers are not used to seeing on the roads.

“The changing back and forth of the colors helps get people’s attention,” LaBoe said.  “Before, it was just a just a flashing yellow light,  but it was just one color.”

This split screen provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows how new green flashing lights, right, are more visible in foggy conditions. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation)

WSDOT started using them over the winter on the east side of the state, and it will take a while for the entire fleet to get them.

“All new vehicles, we’ll order them that way, and they’ll come that way,” LaBoe said.  “Our new or current vehicles we’re going to go back and retrofit.”

Those same 2,000 trucks are also going to get some new striping on the back. Another way to grab drivers attention.

“It’s red and white reflective striping tape,” Laboe said.  “It’s actually tape that you put on the back, and it’s reflective.  Those particular colors really get people’s attention. Our IRT vehicles right now have some yellow and black tape so people may be familiar with that but, we’re going to swap that out with the red and white.”

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All of these changes are about just one thing.

“The goal of this is to make the trucks more visible and stand out to people as they’re driving past to help protect our crews and also protect everyone else on the road,” LaBoe said.

And this is also a great time to remind you that our “Move Over” law applies to any rig with flashing lights, not just the police. You need to move over a lane, if some to do so, or drop down 10 miles an hour below the speed limit if you can’t.

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