FOUR KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT
An accident in southern Minnesota involving a vehicle with Illinois plates left four dead on Wednesday. The accident happened in a construction zone. Investigators say a Toyota veered into the wrong lane and was hit by a semi. The semi then lost control and hit a van. Officials don't believe weather played a factor in the accident, though the road was wet from rain just minutes prior to the accident.
A 62-year-old woman in the Toyota with Illinois plates and three people a van with Iowa plates were killed. The semi driver, an Iowan, was uninjured.
It is imperative to drive the speed limit in construction work zones. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), 21 people were killed in construction zone crashes in 2007.
IDOT offers the following safety tips for driving through work zones:
*SLOW DOWN: Posted speed limits in a work zone are not a suggestion; they are the law. Speed limits are there for your safety as well as the safety of the construction workers. Dangers still exist in work zones even if workers are not present. The Illinois State Police has zero tolerance for speeding in work zones and fines are doubled.
*PAY ATTENTION: Traffic patterns in work zones can change several times per day. Even drivers familiar with a particular road or work zone should be on the lookout for new lane closures and changing traffic patterns. Don't take anything for granted in a work zone. Expect the unexpected.
*FOLLOW THE SIGNS: Signs, arrowboards and flaggers are not there to make your life more difficult. They are there to help safely guide you through a work zone. Merge early when approaching a work zone; don't wait until the last moment.
*DON'T FOLLOW TOO CLOSELY: One of the most common crashes in a work zone is a rear-end collision. Drivers should make sure that they can safely stop if traffic backs up. Be sure to allow at least two seconds between your vehicle and the one in front of you and do not change lanes in a work zone.
*BE PATIENT: Most of the time a work zone will require a lane closure, so a driver will have to slow down well below the speed limit and should be prepared to stop if congestion is heavy or if construction equipment is being moved in the area. Impatience or anger will not get you through the work zone faster.
*TURN ON YOUR HEADLIGHTS: Workers and other motorists need to be able to see your vehicle. Truckers should use their emergency flashers to warn trailing motorists that you are slowing.
