Introduction
Each spring, as construction season kicks off across the country, National Work Zone Awareness Week returns to deliver a message that should never have to be repeated but always needs to be heard. This year, NWZAW runs April 20 through 24, 2026, hosted by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, under the theme "Safe Actions Save Lives."
That theme is more than a slogan. It is a call to everyone who shares the road to recognize that the choices made behind the wheel in a work zone carry real consequences for real people. In 2023, 899 people were killed in work zone crashes nationwide. The majority were drivers and passengers, not workers. Every one of those fatalities was preventable.
ATSSA and the Mission Behind the Week
Pelco proudly supports American Traffic Safety Services Association, and the connection between ATSSA and National Work Zone Awareness Week goes back to its founding. ATSSA was one of the original partners that helped establish NWZAW as a national campaign alongside the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Federal Highway Administration. Together, those organizations turned a local Virginia DOT initiative into a coordinated, nationwide effort to protect the people who build and maintain our roads.
ATSSA's advocacy shapes the standards, testing protocols, and product specifications that define how work zones are designed and protected across the country. Pelco Products is committed to supporting that mission not just in principle, but through the hardware that holds traffic infrastructure together in the field.
Where Pelco Fits In
Work zone safety is not only a matter of driver behavior. At Pelco, our work is rooted in roadway and pedestrian safety. That mission does not draw a line between everyday intersections and active construction corridors. The people most vulnerable in a work zone are the same people our industry exists to protect: drivers navigating unfamiliar conditions, pedestrians crossing near disrupted infrastructure, and workers whose safety depends on everyone else doing their part.
National Work Zone Awareness Week reinforces something we believe year-round: that safer roads require shared commitment from manufacturers, agencies, contractors, and the public alike. We are proud to stand alongside ATSSA and the broader traffic safety community in supporting that message.
How to Participate This Week
NWZAW is designed for participation at every level, from state agencies to individual drivers. Throughout the week, organizations and the public are encouraged to take part in daily activities:
- Monday, April 21 - National Kickoff Event: Hosted by CTDOT in Farmington, CT
- Wednesday, April 22 - Go Orange Day: Wear orange and post on social media to show support for work zone safety and share using the tag #GoOrangeDay
- Thursday, April 23 - Social Media Storm: Share coordinated work zone safety messaging across platforms using #NWZAW and #WorkZoneSafety
- Friday, April 24 - Moment of Silence: A pause to honor the workers and motorists who lost their lives in work zones
We encourage our partners, contractors, and DOT customers to join in. Wear orange on Wednesday. Post a message on Thursday. Take a moment on Friday.
Safe Infrastructure, Safe Outcomes
Safe work zones depend on alert drivers, properly trained crews, and infrastructure that is built right. Pelco Products is committed to our part in that equation every day of the year, and weeks like this one serve as an important reminder of why it matters.
Learn more about National Work Zone Awareness Week at nwzaw.org and about ATSSA's work at atssa.com.