AFADs becoming more common to help keep everyone safe in work zones

As more vehicles hit B.C. roads this summer, drivers may see an unfamiliar traffic control device.

It’s called an automated flagger assistance device (AFAD). Remotely operated, it uses red and yellow traffic lights and an arm with a fluorescent orange or red flag. It tells drivers approaching work zones when to stop and when it’s safe to proceed.

While bright orange safety cones are well recognized around work zones, AFADs are relatively new. They’re becoming more common across B.C. The City of Penticton, for example, last year adopted AFADs as its primary tool for single lane, alternating traffic control.

“AFADs greatly reduce the risk of roadside workers being hit by vehicles,” explained Trace Acres, program director for Road Safety at Work and spokesperson for the Cone Zone safety awareness campaign. “They also help keep drivers and their passengers safe while keeping traffic flowing efficiently.”

Whether work zones use an AFAD, cones, or barriers, the law requires drivers approaching and passing through them to:

Slow down and drive with care.

Pay attention and leave your phone alone.

Obey road signs, traffic control devices, and traffic control persons.

When drivers see an AFAD, stop at least one car length away from it when the arm is down and the light is either solid yellow or red. Proceed only on flashing yellow when the arm is fully raised.

Unsafe driving puts people at risk.

Work zones are common in many parts of B.C. year-round. They’re the job sites for thousands of people. It’s not just construction and maintenance crews. Landscapers, movers, utility workers, recycling and garbage collectors, first responders, and many other workers all spend varying amounts of time in and around traffic too.

“Driving carelessly through a roadside work zone can cause a lifetime of consequences for them,” says Acres. “Speeding and distracted drivers, and not keeping vehicles a safe distance from workers, puts everyone at serious risk of injury or death. “

Between 2014 and 2023 in B.C., nine people working along the roadside were killed and 251 were injured seriously enough to miss time from work, according to WorkSafeBC statistics.

Sean Ryan narrowly avoided being listed in those statistics.

Ryan, a traffic control coordinator with the City of Penticton, experienced a near miss when a driver veered around an AFAD positioned ahead of his work zone. Before the vehicle could encounter oncoming traffic, Ryan was able to get the attention of the driver and have them pull over.

“I still think about that dangerous situation,” he says. “I think about the crew on the road that could have been hit. I think about the people who were driving in the opposite direction. I think about the driver and their passengers and what could have happened. We’re here just trying to keep all of those people safe.”

The typical fines in B.C. for work zone violations include:

Disobeying a traffic control device: $121.

Speeding: $196 and up.

Using an electronic device while driving: $368.

“Please be patient,” Ryan asks of drivers. “We’re not there to impede you. We want to get you on your way as soon as it’s safe to do so. We’re just trying to make sure everyone goes home safe at the end of the day.”

Road Safety at Work is a WorkSafeBC-funded initiative that aims to eliminate work-related motor vehicle crashes, deaths, and injuries in B.C. Its annual Cone Zone campaign is supported by the Work Zone Safety Alliance, a group of private and public sector organizations committed to improving the safety of roadside workers.

For more information on driving safely in roadside work zones visit Cone ZoneBC.com.

Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure photo

Work Zone Safety Alliance

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