HPP: In the wake of the terrible death of a Department of Transportation employee who passed away on the job on Thursday, the Arkansas State Police have issued a message to motorists around the state.
Law enforcement officials have stated that incidents of this nature are occurring much too frequently and have reminded motorists that if they are driving through a construction zone on their regular commute, it may be a life-changing experience if they do not pay attention to safety precautions.
“These [ARDOT workers] are doing some of the most dangerous jobs out there on a highway where people are driving 50, 60, or 70 miles per hour,” said Dave Parker, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Transportation of the Defense.
Parker has stated that the agency places a high priority on safety; nonetheless, tragic events continue to take place.While repairing a pothole on Highway 13 south of Humnoke on Thursday morning, a member of the Lonoke County Maintenance Crew named Charles “Tony” Glover, who was 39 years old, was struck and killed by a vehicle.
“To have something happen as it did, it’s just hard to understand why this this driver apparently didn’t see anything and did not slow down at all,” Parker stated.
Parker stated that there was no problem with visibility. While Glover was standing next to an ARDOT truck with green flashing lights, he was wearing a colorful vest.
“To start out the new year this way, and we feel for the family, and, you know, we’re kind of at a loss, really,” he continued.
In November, another Arkansas Department of Transportation employee was murdered while working on a highway in southwest Arkansas. This tragedy was quite similar to the one that occurred in 2015.
“In my experience, there’s an uptick in that. It’s just people are not paying attention to the road,” Sgt. Gabriel Monroe stated.
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According to Sgt. Monroe, complying with the “move over law” would be beneficial in preventing situations of this nature if everyone followed it.
“A lot of people just don’t understand the move over law. They say, ‘oh, I slowed down, but they’re still doing 75 miles an hour past a trooper,'” he said. “[The ARDOT workers have] a family. That motorist has a family. Think about others. When you’re driving down the highway, move over if you can safely,” he stated.
The regulation is somewhat different when you are driving on a highway that only has two lanes.
“Obviously you can’t move into oncoming traffic. The very least, you need to maintain your lane. Don’t go over the shoulder, or don’t go over the white line and slow down if you can. You don’t want to create a traffic problem, but you don’t want to go by this guy at 65 miles per hour. He has a family, so please slow down,” he stated.
With the assistance of prosecutors, the ASP has stated that they conduct investigations on a case-by-case basis in order to determine the penalties of hitting road workers.