IDOT, tollway urge drivers to focus as construction zone deaths rise

Amid a spike in construction zone fatal crashes, state transportation leaders cautioned drivers Tuesday to be alert as road-building season kicks off.

Thirty-five people died in work zone collisions in 2025, an increase of 22 fatalities from 2024, Illinois Department of Transportation preliminary data shows. None of the deaths involved workers.

It’s “a reminder that crashes in work zones generally have a much greater impact on drivers and their passengers,” officials said.

An average of 6,195 construction zone collisions happen yearly in Illinois, causing 1,073 injuries, IDOT reports.

“It takes all of us to be very intentional ​about how we’re driving and how we're looking at safety and safe actions that we can take to protect those that are on the road,” Illinois tollway Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said.

Flagger Adelina Zito recalled a moment of terror when she saw a car on a collision course with a friend on duty at a job site.

“I could see the car approaching really fast. I could see (the driver) was not stopping,” recounted Zito, a member of LiUNa, Local 76.

She yelled a warning and her coworker scrambled to safety.

“It’s really important for us to get home to our families and friends,” Zito said at a safety briefing in Bensenville marking National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Tollway equipment operator/laborer Benjamin Joslun has assisted at multiple crash scenes involving co-workers and Illinois State Police troopers.

He’s seen all kinds of driver misbehavior in construction zones.

“On the phone. Not paying attention. Driving too fast. Swerving in and out of traffic — because they’re upset because they left five minutes too late and now they’re trying to make up for time.

“We are mothers. We are fathers. Brothers and sisters. Aunts and uncles. All we’re asking for people to do is just to slow down,” Joslun said.

Another expert tip about construction zones: “Sometimes the lanes change. The lane you took yesterday might not be open today. And you’re not expecting that — and that’s when you really need to pay attention,” Joslun explained.

Distracted driving is a key problem, Illinois State Police Lt. Juan Valenzuela explained.

It’s not just smartphones, he said. Dashboard infotainment systems “have a lot of information at the ready for drivers and sometimes that takes away from their concentration on the road.”

Summer brings additional challenges, with warm weather encouraging motorcyclists, RV and boat owners — who might be out of practice — to hit the road.

What to do? Scan the road. Follow construction zone speeds. Check your mirrors. Give yourself time to react. Don’t follow too closely. And finally, buckle up, Valenzuela advises.

“You don’t know how often we handle collisions where we expect the injuries to be severe and people walk away because they wore their seat belt.”