Safety on the road!
Monday, January 18, 2021
Reference: ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Zero Fatalities:
Safety is our No. 1 priority. We stand committed to reducing deaths on Illinois roads.
https://www.lifeordeathillinois.com/
The snowy, sleety weather outside as I write this blog brings to mind the critical topic of road safety, both for workers on or near the road and for drivers.
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| A typical Illinois winter day |
Last year I was driving on the inside lane of I55 north and hit a piece of flat debris - it was NOT a piece of cardboard as I thought, but a big flat piece of wood with a sharp edge. As soon as I hit it, I could hear the hissing of my front driver-side tire. It was terrifying to be traveling 70 miles per hour in traffic with a quickly deflating tire, but thankfully it was clear weather with light traffic and I was able to maneuver over to the right lane and pull off safely to the shoulder.
I ended up right behind another car on the shoulder with the same problem as I had - flat front driver-side tire due to that piece of “cardboard” in the left lane behind us. One of the two young men in that vehicle started changing his own tire, while the other young man came back and changed mine – I am thankful for lovely people in the world, which could be another blog! We both called IDOT to report the debris before we left the side of the road.
Even with help immediately accessible, being on the shoulder of an interstate highway for this tire change was even more terrifying than getting there with a flat tire! And I was only standing by the trunk of my car worrying while these two young men did the hard work right next to traffic! Cars and trucks were flying by, and not all vehicles could or did change lanes to give us space – terrifying only begins to describe it.
This dangerous situation is the exact job setting that our road maintenance, construction crews and police/first responders work in daily, including staff from our firm. These people deserve our care and concern!
PAY ATTENTION - MOVE OVER – SLOW DOWN!
I don’t think I can add enough “ALL CAPS” or !!! or bold and underline to this blog to emphasize the importance of safe driving, especially in winter driving conditions.
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| Another typical Midwest winter day on the interstate |
Howard wrote in a previous blog about being seriously injured on a road construction project by a drunk driver who plowed through barricades at 45 miles per hour, so our family takes road safety and drunk/distracted driving very seriously. Plus, we have staff and many friends who work regularly on road construction sites – they are our family too!
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Everyone working and driving out there is someone’s family – treat them with all the care and attention to safety that you want your family to have. Let’s travel safely so every single person makes it home every day – zero traffic fatalities is a worthy goal!
Kristen
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| Kristen R. Hamilton is the Chairman/CEO of Hamilton Consulting Engineers, Inc. |