Construction Zone Caution

In the state of Michigan, there is a running joke the state flower is an orange construction barrel. Road construction is so frequent, most drivers become inattentive to the neon indicators.

Allison Mark, Project Manager for Software & Central Engineering, raised the problem this creates for the construction industry and Vulnerable Road Users (VRU). “As many of us return to our commutes to the office, we forget that for construction workers, their office is the work zones we drive through.”

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2003-2020, more than 2,200 workers in the U.S. lost their lives at road construction sites. This shocking statistic piqued the interest of Allison and her team as they were already conducting research for intelligent construction sites.

“The statistics struck me hard. With my desk job, I am likely to go home safe every day to my family. However, if I were one of the many yellow-vested workers I frequently pass on the road, I would face the sobering reality that 1 in 4 struck-by-vehicle deaths occur to construction workers. Our team determined this is an unacceptable reality for people who are out there making our roads and communities better.”

This became the inspiration for their Smart Construction Site development project. Allison said, “With support from our existing Continental products and expertise in intelligent infrastructure, our project will support intelligent monitoring of construction sites.”

Every day, our team members strive to make the world a better place through innovative mobility solutions. “While our concept today addresses the safety of construction workers, we will not stop there. Our goal is to continue to add features and functions to our system to address a variety of use cases for construction sites.”