Drive through the same highway work zone enough times and it might start to feel like a permanent part of your life — maybe even like an old friend.

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Work zones are temporary. But our actions inside work zones can last forever.

That’s the message our industry will share with this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week April 15-19. This message reminds drivers their actions — such as speeding or driving while distracted — in work zones can cause life-changing injuries or even fatalities.

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They say numbers never lie. But that doesn’t mean the truth is always simple.

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Innovation drives the transportation industry. It always has. But our engine of innovation hasn’t always driven on all cylinders. For example, our national history of racial segregation stopped many 20th century African-American inventors from shaping our industry.

That’s one reason Black History Month, each February, is so important. This special month gives our industry a way to celebrate African-American inventors who broke through society’s barriers and contributed to our industry.

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How do you define “traffic?” If you’re like most Americans, you picture taillights, turn signals, and exit-only lanes. This is understandable. In the 20th century, planners built or redesigned almost all of our roads, streets, and bridges with pavement markings to serve motorized vehicles.

21st century planners have been busy reimagining our roads and streets. It’s part of the “Complete Streets” movement, and it focuses on making our roads safer for motorized vehicles along with other forms of travel, including bicycling and walking.

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If you could buy our public highway system a gift this holiday season, what would it be?

• Better rest areas?
• More lanes at the intersection that slows you down every morning?
• Brighter lighting on the shortcut you take once in a while?

Here’s our gift suggestion: How about a stronger culture of safety to shape every decision about every road project?

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AAA expects about one in seven Americans to travel this year for Thanksgiving. With so many cars on the road, it’s inevitable: Some of us will sit in snarled traffic. Some of us may even be delayed for hours.

How can you reduce your odds of sitting in traffic for hours this holiday? By timing your trip well.

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The weather is cooler. The leaves are changing. Halloween candy is disappearing from store shelves. Football season is getting more interesting.

That means it must be — Careers in Construction Month.

That’s right. Each October this special month celebrates everything our industry offers its current and future employees.

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Shouldn’t you always stop when a school bus deploys its stop sign and flashing red lights?

The answer to this question surprises some drivers. In most states, drivers should not stop for a school bus:

• If they’re traveling in the opposite direction of the bus on a multi-lane highway
• And if the multi-lane highway is divided by a grass or unpaved median

Drivers in this scenario should keep moving with caution.

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A map of the Interstate highway system made a brief splash on social media earlier this year. A lot of people who shared the map said they had no idea highway numbers followed a format. They assumed the government assigned highway numbers randomly.

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