Don't use other pin pullers, You could get hurt! 
Friday, April 08, 2005
Winter Over and Construction, Trucking's Second Season, is Here
Press Release Source: American Trucking Associations
Winter Over and Construction, Trucking's Second Season, is Here
Friday April 8, 6:00 am ET
- New in Work Zones This Year
- A Crackdown on Zippers
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Back again on our roadways are those annual harbingers of highway construction season: long lines of orange barrels, rows of constructing concrete walls, and dreaded "Road Work Ahead" signs. With their arrival comes increased traffic congestion compounded by the temptation of far too many drivers to take unsafe chances behind the wheels.
New this year, however, are efforts by some states to improve work zone safety by cutting down on particularly dangerous drivers, known as "zippers" to professional truck drivers. They're the ones who, where traffic is to merge into a single lane, race to get ahead of slowing vehicles and then suddenly and dangerously cut in line.
Three states: Tennessee, Arkansas and Washington, are now issuing tickets to drivers who do not merge into the proper work zone lane quickly enough. The new enforcement effort is welcomed by the trucking industry.
Tennessee is the latest to implement the new safety program. There, drivers entering new work zones are to begin merging when they see "Merge Left" or "Merge Right" signs. They will have two miles to completely merge, after which they will see either "Do Not Pass in Right Lane" or "Do Not Pass in Left Lane" signs. Late mergers can be ticketed after the do-not-pass signs under the state's no-passing-zone laws.
Professional truck drivers say "zippers" likely never think of how they are endangering themselves, their families and other motorists when they cut quickly in front of a large truck at a work zone merge site and then suddenly have to slow down. While truckers are already trying to navigate their large vehicles through cramped construction sites, "zippers" further endanger them, other motorists and highway workers.
Along with its support of longer merge areas, the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the nation's largest trucking industry and safety advocacy group, offers its common sense advice on how to safely navigate work zones.
* Double your usual following distance. Otherwise, you won't have time to
safely react to warnings or hazards, like debris or potholes that
suddenly pop out from under the vehicle ahead.
* Get into the correct lane well in advance and observe work zone speed
limits.
* Where traffic is merging into a single lane, be extremely cautious of
cars racing dangerously to get ahead of slowing traffic. Truck drivers
call these unsafe motorists "zippers," after the way they zip in and
out of slowing traffic, endangering other motorists who choose to obey
work zone signs.
* Pay close attention to operating construction equipment while in a work
zone. You never know their next move. Be ready to stop.
* Remember that most work zone traffic lanes are narrow and don't have
shoulders or emergency lanes.
* In temporary median crossovers uneven or sloped road surfaces can
dramatically affect handling and stability.
* Report an absence of signs, or poor signage, to the appropriate highway
department.
Winter Over and Construction, Trucking's Second Season, is Here
Friday April 8, 6:00 am ET
- New in Work Zones This Year
- A Crackdown on Zippers
ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Back again on our roadways are those annual harbingers of highway construction season: long lines of orange barrels, rows of constructing concrete walls, and dreaded "Road Work Ahead" signs. With their arrival comes increased traffic congestion compounded by the temptation of far too many drivers to take unsafe chances behind the wheels.
New this year, however, are efforts by some states to improve work zone safety by cutting down on particularly dangerous drivers, known as "zippers" to professional truck drivers. They're the ones who, where traffic is to merge into a single lane, race to get ahead of slowing vehicles and then suddenly and dangerously cut in line.
Three states: Tennessee, Arkansas and Washington, are now issuing tickets to drivers who do not merge into the proper work zone lane quickly enough. The new enforcement effort is welcomed by the trucking industry.
Tennessee is the latest to implement the new safety program. There, drivers entering new work zones are to begin merging when they see "Merge Left" or "Merge Right" signs. They will have two miles to completely merge, after which they will see either "Do Not Pass in Right Lane" or "Do Not Pass in Left Lane" signs. Late mergers can be ticketed after the do-not-pass signs under the state's no-passing-zone laws.
Professional truck drivers say "zippers" likely never think of how they are endangering themselves, their families and other motorists when they cut quickly in front of a large truck at a work zone merge site and then suddenly have to slow down. While truckers are already trying to navigate their large vehicles through cramped construction sites, "zippers" further endanger them, other motorists and highway workers.
Along with its support of longer merge areas, the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the nation's largest trucking industry and safety advocacy group, offers its common sense advice on how to safely navigate work zones.
* Double your usual following distance. Otherwise, you won't have time to
safely react to warnings or hazards, like debris or potholes that
suddenly pop out from under the vehicle ahead.
* Get into the correct lane well in advance and observe work zone speed
limits.
* Where traffic is merging into a single lane, be extremely cautious of
cars racing dangerously to get ahead of slowing traffic. Truck drivers
call these unsafe motorists "zippers," after the way they zip in and
out of slowing traffic, endangering other motorists who choose to obey
work zone signs.
* Pay close attention to operating construction equipment while in a work
zone. You never know their next move. Be ready to stop.
* Remember that most work zone traffic lanes are narrow and don't have
shoulders or emergency lanes.
* In temporary median crossovers uneven or sloped road surfaces can
dramatically affect handling and stability.
* Report an absence of signs, or poor signage, to the appropriate highway
department.
