Wisconsin leaders urge travelers to drive safely through work zones this Memorial Day weekend

BROOKFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- In an effort to keep local drivers safe this Memorial Day weekend, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation held a press conference Wednesday, alongside Waukesha County leaders, to emphasize safe driving in work zones.

"Work zones are temporary, but actions behind the wheel can last forever," said Erin Schwark, work zone operations engineer at WisDOT.

A construction worker detailed a close call, demonstrating how part of safety equipment---a crash attenuator-- prevented a potentially deadly accident on I-94 about two years ago.

"A man was on his phone watching Netflix, he had his phone on his dash where the speedometer is...he missed every sign we had, every message board, every arrow board, even all our strobe lights as he approached our crews," shared Andy Bakker, the director of traffic control at Century Traffic.

In Wisconsin, speeding, tailgating, and distracted driving are the leading causes of work zone crashes.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said last year, more than 2,100 crashes happened in work zones.

With Memorial Day weekend around the corner, they're hoping drivers pay extra attention when they are out on the road.

"We all drive through their work zones on our way to work, school, appointments, and other destinations," said Emlynn Grisar, the

southeast region deputy director at WisDOT. "We need to remember the people behind the barrels."

WisDOT workers said many contractors are often up from dawn until dusk fixing roads, and it's up to all of us to keep everyone safe.

"Please put your phones down through work zones, slow down as you're coming through a work zone, and remember, just like you, everyone in the work zone with vests on wants to go home to their families," concluded Bakker.