(June 12, 2013)– Following the tragic incident last night in which a vehicle struck and killed a highway worker, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) expresses condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Erick Meekins, employed by Road Safety Traffic Control Co, LLC of Glen Burnie, Md.

“The men and women of SHA offer our deepest condolences to the Meekins family, friends and co-workers,” said SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters. “Highway workers are many times separated from high-speed traffic by only a cone or a barrel. We must continue to remind each and every driver to reduce speeds, drive attentively and keep our workers safe. Our contractors are an extension of our SHA team and we are truly saddened by this tragedy.”​

It is critical that motorists remember that work zone safety is everyone’s business and that work zones require every driver’s full attention. Lives of both workers and motorists are at stake. At anytime, there may be hundreds of active work zones around the State. This incident occurred along MD 216 as part of a project to upgrade highway lighting.  

There were three people killed and 688 people injured in 2011 in work zone-related crashes. Nationally more than 1,000 people are killed in work zone related crashes; the majority of those killed, four out of five, were motorists or passengers – not workers.

In eligible work zones, SHA uses automated speed enforcement through the Maryland SafeZones program as a tool to reduce excessive speeding and encourage more attentive driving in work zones. For information about SafeZones, please visit www.safezones.maryland.gov. SHA reminds motorists to stay alert for workers, and learn the location of active work zones by consulting www.roads.maryland.gov or www.MD511.org.
 

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