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Injured Construction Worker Joins Transportation Officials to Urge Motorists to Slow Down this Construction Season

                                                                     Chicago, IL- While introducing Noel Chavez, a road construction 
                                                                     worker who was injured in a major work zone crash last year,
                                                                     David Lorig, President of the Illinois Road & Transportation Builders
                                                                     Association said, “We are here today; safe, protected and alert. We
                                                                     are alive. The 38 people who died last year in work zones do not  
                                                                     have the opportunity to talk about driving safe. This year needs to be
                                                                     the year of families, our families on the roads.”  Too often families
                                                                     suffer because of speeding and distracted drivers in work zones. 
                                                                     Both Lorig and Chavez participated in a press conference on work
                                                                      zone safety.

“Our family of mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who work everyday on the roads have the right to a safe work environment.  Speeding and distracted drivers are a public epidemic that can and should be stopped,” Lorig continued.

Last year while working the Dan Ryan Expressway, Noel Chavez, a seasoned worker with Highway Safety Corporation was injured while pulling away from the work zone. Chavez and two other workers were victims of a serious crash with a motorist traveling at a high speed.  Chavez’s injuries were not life threatening and he has recovered, however, the memory of this traumatic event lingers. Chavez joined Lorig to illustrate the necessity of being alert and staying focused on the road.

“I am here today because I am lucky. Period. This is not something that you sign up for when you take a job to support your family and make a living. I do not want this to happen to another member of our road construction family.”

Lorig and Chavez joined representatives from the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to remind motorists to slow down as the 2005 construction season begins.

As the weather warms and road crews hit various jobs throughout the state, motorists need to be aware of the 45 MPH speed limit in work zones as well as the stiff penalties accompanied by speeding tickets. Last year the Illinois General Assembly passed a number of laws relating to the work zone in efforts to increase awareness and overall driver compassion for people working on road construction projects. 

 The Illinois Road & Transportation Builders Association, formed in 1938, is a statewide association comprised of companies that design, build and maintain the system of roads, airports, public transportation and waterways in Illinois.