National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) April 15-19, 2024

NWZAW has been observed for more than 20 years and was launched as a public awareness campaign to help everyone understand that they play a role in keeping motorists and roadway workers safe.

NWZAW is an annual event observed nationwide that brings together the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), public agencies, national roadway safety organizations, companies, and individuals to promote the importance of work zone safety. The 2024 theme is “Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever.”

GO ORANGE DAY is Wednesday, April 17, 2024. It is our goal to “turn the state of South Dakota orange” by encouraging DOT employees, along with schools, businesses, and communities, to wear orange and then upload pictures to our social media sites to demonstrate support for roadway safety in work zones.

Photos can be posted on social media using the hashtags #SDDOT, #NWZAW, and #GoOrange4Safety.

State departments of transportation including the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT), federal agencies, and other organizations will be participating in NWZAW and distributing public service announcements about work zone safety and hosting events to highlight the issue.

And as always, we remind everyone to pay attention as you approach a roadway work zone, remove distractions, and slow your vehicle. Getting safely through a work zone could save your life and that of your passengers.

No matter the season or project at hand, our primary focus at the SDDOT is safety in all we do!

To learn more about NWZAW, visit https://www.nwzaw.org/ and https://dot.sd.gov/inside-sddot/of-interest/work-zone-awareness-week