OLYMPIA – Transportation workers, along with all roadway and utility workers, ask drivers to remember one rule when they see those bright orange signs and cones: just slow down.

It’s that simple.

As weather heats up, more orange cones and signs appear and drivers will see additional highway construction and maintenance work. Washington State Department of Transportation asks members of the media and the public to participate in “Go Orange for Work Zone Safety” and show support for the men and women who work in those construction zones, just feet from traffic.

In support of the safety-awareness campaign, WSDOT will change its website from green to orange on Monday, April 15 and post photos of how WSDOT workers are showing their orange.

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 17, WSDOT will host its annual Worker Memorial to highlight and honor its workforce and remember those workers killed on the roadway. The event, located at WSDOT Headquarters Building, 310 Maple Park Ave. SE in Olympia, is open to the public.

WSDOT’s events are in conjunction with National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, April 16-19. Visit the WSDOT Go Orange for Work Zone Safety website for more information.

Work zone safety is about more than roadway workers. When you slow down, you give yourself a break and help set an example for young drivers. WSDOT statistics show that nearly 40 percent of work zone collisions in Washington involve a driver age 30 or younger.

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