Slow Down to Get Around can help save lives, including your own!

ALBANY, NY (04/14/2016)(readMedia)-- On a city street or an interstate highway, Slow Down to Get Around when work crews are out doing their job. CSEA – New York's leading union – has broadened its public awareness efforts for roadwork safety to help save lives and limit injury.

"It's a simple message for everyone to take care," said CSEA President Danny Donohue. "Distracted driving can cause harm and even death for people working on the roads and cause enormous pain for their families, but it can also destroy the life of the driver who causes the incident by failing to pay attention. It's not worth all of the consequences."

CSEA began its Don't Zone Out campaign in 2010. In conjunction with many other public awareness efforts about the dangers of distracted driving, the campaign is having a positive effect in New York and nationally.

Sadly, CSEA has also seen the tragic deaths of several sanitation workers in roadway incidents in recent years. This has prompted the union's new effort to reinforce safety awareness with the Slow Down to Get Around message. CSEA is also seeking to have sanitation vehicles included in New York's amber light Move Over Law. Responsible management that emphasizes proper training, use of safety equipment and following proper procedures is key to safety, but the motoring public can also help.

"It's not asking a lot for all of us to slow down and concentrate on driving when road crews are out," Donohue said. "Reducing speed and paying attention can be the difference between life and death."

WHAT YOU CAN DO

  • Move over for amber lights;
  • Obey posted speed limits;
  • Put the phone down and drive;
  • Never send or read text messages while driving;
  • In work zones and where there are crews working, slow down and be alert. Focus on your driving;
  • Help spread the word;
  • Learn more at www.cseany.org.

Nearly 700 CSEA safety and health activists will renew the union's road safety commitment at its statewide Conference on Occupational Safety & Health, April 15-17 in Lake Placid. Additionally, CSEA is once again partnering with minor league baseball teams across the state this spring and summer to deliver the message about the dangers of distracted driving.

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