Updated April 8, 2019

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is joining other states asking motorists to Drive like you work here and Work with Us then  move over and slow down for highway workers.

TDOT will spread that message statewide during National Work Zone Awareness Week today (Monday) through Friday in an effort to improve safety in Tennessee’s interstate and highway construction and maintenance work zones.

The year 2016 was a tragic year for TDOT families as three of their employees were struck and killed by passing motorists.

TDOT Commissioner Clay Bright said hundreds of employees are working on the highways each day. We need motorists to work with us by moving over and slowing down for TDOT workers or first responders working along our interstates and state routes.

Drive like you work here, pay attention to signs, reduce your speed, and move over when possible, Bright said.

The spring and summer months provide perfect weather for highway work. Work zones include everything from major interstate widening projects to pothole patching and mowing in Giles County and surrounding areas.

Motorists will encounter work zones across Tennessee in downtowns, along interstates and in rural areas like Giles County. Last year in Tennessee, 20 people died in work zone crashes, including workers, drivers and passengers.