The U.S. Counties With the Highest (and Lowest) Rates of Fatal Work Zone Traffic Accidents

Fatal Work Zone Traffic Accident Lawyers in Clifton, NJ Strategically Representing Clients in Essex County, Hudson County, Passaic County, Bergen County, Union County, and Throughout North Jersey

If you’re a driver, work zones can be a real inconvenience. One minute you’re cruising along, and the next, you’re stuck in traffic. You might view the reduced speed limits, closed lanes, orange signs, and traffic cones as annoyances delaying your journey, but the fact of the matter is that they are there to keep both you and the road workers safe.

While other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists are commonly recognized obstacles to watch out for, work zones and the construction workers within are sometimes overlooked. When drivers aren’t taking the necessary level of care while passing through work zones, workers’ lives are needlessly put at risk. As a result, roughly 900 highway maintenance and other construction workers are killed in work zone traffic accidents each year.

Our team at Corradino & Papa has compiled and analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on work zone traffic accidents over the past ten years. This analysis identifies which counties have had the highest, and lowest, rates of fatal work zone accidents.

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Where are the most (and fewest) fatal work zone accidents per 100,000 people?

1. Jefferson County, Texas - The county with the highest rate of fatal work zone traffic accidents is Jefferson County, Texas at 14.706 accidents per 100,000 people. The county has a population of 251,601 people and there were 37 work zone fatalities from 2013 to 2022.
2. Bell County, Texas – Next on the list for rate of fatal work zone accidents is Texas’ Bell County with 43 accidents from 2013 to 2022. Adjusted for their population of 387,454, there were 11.096 fatal accidents per 100,000 people during this period.
3. McLennan County, Texas – Rounding out the top three is yet another entry from Texas: McLennan County. From 2013 to 2022, there were 9.768 traffic-related work zone fatalities per 100,000 people. During that time, a total of 26 people died in work zone traffic accidents.

When it comes to counties with the lowest rate of fatal work zone accidents from 2013 to 2022, there are four that can luckily claim no such incidents: Dakota County in Missouri, Dutchess County in New York, Lake County in Ohio, and Whatcom County in Washington.

Fatal Work Zone Accidents in New Jersey

In New Jersey, Salem County is where the highest rate of fatal work zone accidents have taken place over the 10-year period we focused on, 3.070 per 100,000 people. Camden County experienced the highest total number of fatal work zone accidents in the state but due to their significantly larger population, their rate per 100,000 people remained lower at 2.668 per 100,000 people. The following map examines every in New Jersey and gives us some insight into how the state compares to some of the safest and deadliest counties in the country.

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New Jersey Fatal Work Zone Traffic Accidents By County

Avoiding Work Zone Traffic Accidents

As a driver, you should always be sure to give all of your attention to the road and your surroundings; this is especially true when you’re traveling through a work zone. Avoid distractions such as eating, changing the radio station, using your phone, or anything else that may take your attention away from the road; the life of a construction worker may depend on it. Work zones will have changing speed limits and traffic patterns throughout, so be sure to pay attention to signage and the workers who may be guiding you. Maintain a good distance between you and the car ahead of you, so that you have plenty of time if there is a sudden stop. Road workers and construction vehicles may be around or near your lane, so stay aware of their movements at all times. All in all, the most effective measures to avoiding a work zone accident are to have patience, take all necessary precautions, and to stay alert when you are behind the wheel.

Though the best measures to take are preventative, sometimes reality doesn’t work out that way. Even among the safest and most defensive of drivers, unexpected and unavoidable things can happen. New Jersey-based road maintenance and construction workers who are the victims of construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, or other work accidents—even those resulting in catastrophic injuries—can contact Corradino & Papa today.

The Data

The 25 Counties With the Most Fatal Work Zone Traffic Accidents Per 100,000 People

United States Average: 2.366 fatal work zone traffic accidents per 100.000 people

*St. Louis, Missouri is an independent city that is not a part of a county and is recognized as a county-equivalent by the NHTSA.

The 25 Counties With the Fewest Fatal Work Zone Traffic Accidents per 100,000 People

Notes:

• Work zone traffic fatalities include all traffic-related deaths that occurred within work zones from 2013 through 2022, including those involving road and construction workers, as well as drivers, pedestrians, and others.
• Connecticut was excluded from this analysis because the state transitioned from counties to planning regions during the study period, resulting in incomplete data.

Sources:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) (https://www.nhtsa.gov/research-data/fatality-analysis-reporting-system-fars)

U.S. Census Bureau, County Population Totals and Components of Change (2022) (https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html)

The Historical Marker Database, U.S. County Seat List (https://www.hmdb.org/countyoverlay/countyseatlist.asp)