Deaths in Highway Work Areas at Record High
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A record number of people are dying in highway work zones as motorists speed through construction areas--confused, frustrated or both by ever-increasing miles of narrow lanes and orange cones.
In 1999, 872 people died in construction zones, more than 700 of them motorists or passengers in vehicles passing through the sites, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The previous record: 828 in 1994.
The number of deaths in highway work zones grew 25% from 1997 to 1999 as the amount of federal money spent on roadway construction rose.
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