One State Targets Teen Drivers to Reduce Work Zone Deaths

Route Fifty Today By Daniel C. Vock MAY 26, 2023

As traffic deaths surge, contractors are calling on states to do more. One state—Oklahoma—will be the first in the nation to require teen drivers to complete a course on construction worker safety.

To combat a national rise in worker deaths, Oklahoma this fall will require new teen drivers to complete a one-hour course online about work zone safety. It will be the first state in the country to do so. The law is intended to deal with a problem many states are wrestling with: a surge in traffic deaths, including in work zones. The number of people who died in work zone crashes increased from 586 people in 2010, to 956 people in 2021. Meanwhile, 55% of highway contractors in a national survey administered by the Associated General Contractors of America reported that they had a motor vehicle crash on one of their work sites last year.

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