Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Officials with the Road Commission for Oakland County, the Genesee County Road Commission, the Operating Engineers 324, and the widow of a Road Commission employee killed last year in a work zone joined forces Wednesday to draw attention to National Work Zone Awareness Week - and the need for motorists to slow down and pay attention when driving through work zones.

The event was held at the RCOC’s Southfield garage, which, tragically, lost employee Cedric Jones to a work zone crash in July 2025. The crash, in which a motorist drove into a work zone, also resulted in the serious injury of employees Robert Dinkins and George Thomas.

Jones’ widow, Roshanda Jones, spoke at the event, urging motorists to pay attention and slow down in work zones. She said “We have to treat driving as a privilege, and we must not get into work zones and treat them as though they are an inconvenience because we did not plan accordingly or we are not sober or alert. Please take a moment to think hard when you get behind the wheel.”

RCOC Managing Director Dennis Kolar noted that National Work Zone Awareness Week is held every spring to raise awareness as road construction season gets going. He said the “goal is to remind everyone of the importance of paying attention as they approach and drive through work zones, so that both motorists and workers remain safe.”

Kolar added that in 2023, the most recent year for which statistics are available, there were more than 101,000 work zone crashes across the country, with an estimated 39,000 work zone injuries and 899 work zone fatalities. Of those fatalities, 176 were pedestrians or workers.

“At RCOC, safety has been our official number-one priority since 1978,” Kolar stated. “Everything we do, from project selection and design, to work zone staging to employee training and much more is based on this safety priority. Sadly, though, there are times when all the best planning and execution cannot prevent tragedy. That’s why we’re here today, trying to spread the message to motorists to please slow down and pay attention when you enter a work zone.”

Genesee County Road Commission Communications Coordinator Kylie Dontje agreed, noting that it is often motorists themselves who are injured when they are not paying attention in a work zone. “More than 80 percent of work zone fatalities are actually drivers and their passengers. This week, we want to remind everyone that safe actions save lives. By eliminating distractions, obeying signs and paying attention, the life you save could be your own."

Ryan Doom, director of transportation and infrastructure for Operating Engineers 324, which represents RCOC road workers as well as many employees of private contractors working on RCOC road projects, added that “Operating Engineers 324 represents the men and women doing this work every day, and nothing matters more to us than making sure they return home safely to their families.

Doom said “We are constantly working to improve work zone safety through training, awareness and strong jobsite practices. Our partnerships with the Road Commission for Oakland County and the Genesee County Road Commission are important because when labor and management stand together on safety, we send a stronger message: Slow down, stay alert and respect the work zone. Better decisions behind the wheel save lives.”