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District of Columbia driving lesson · Speed, Safety Equipment & Work Zones

Work zones

A 3-minute lesson from the District of Columbia course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Speed, Safety Equipment & Work Zones
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
49, 50

Work zones are unexpected changes in the road, with workers close by. Signs start before the work area and continue past it. Slow down, stay alert and follow the devices and flaggers.

Work zone

An area along a highway where construction, maintenance or utility work is going on. It may be stationary (a bridge being widened) or mobile (slow-moving striping or patching).

Handbook p. 49 ↗

Know the rule

Special work zone signs and devices are set up in advance of the work area and continue beyond it.

Handbook p. 49 ↗

Know the rule

Traffic warning signs in work zones are usually ORANGE. Most signs in highway and street work areas are orange and diamond-shaped.

Handbook p. 49 ↗

Driving through a work zone:

  • When signs show lane closures ahead, prepare to move out of the closed lane
  • Watch for slower speed limits
  • Avoid sudden moves and don't weave from lane to lane; brake gradually; keep up with traffic
  • Watch for rough surfaces, metal plates, uneven lanes and pavement edge drop-offs
  • Keep a reasonable speed and spacing between vehicles
  • Obey the directions of police and flaggers
Handbook p. 49 ↗

Know the rule

Stopped traffic may be hidden around a curve or over a hill. Be patient; traffic sometimes must stop, for example when two directions take turns on a single lane.

Handbook p. 49 ↗

Know the rule

Traffic may be controlled by temporary signals or police, but more often by trained, certified flaggers with STOP/SLOW paddles.

Handbook p. 49 ↗

Work zone devices:

  • Regulatory signs: speed limits and other laws; limits may be reduced in work areas
  • Warning signs: alert you to unusual or hazardous conditions
  • Channeling devices: barricades, cones and drums; may have warning lights at night
  • Changeable message signs: electronic signs about conditions, problems and special events
  • Arrow panels: day and night, show where to move into another lane
Handbook p. 50 ↗

Put it into practice

An orange sign warns RIGHT LANE CLOSED AHEAD, then an arrow panel points left. Signal and merge left early and smoothly. Don't race to the last cone. Slow to the posted work-zone limit and watch for a flagger's STOP paddle.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

What color are most traffic warning signs used in DC work zones?
  1. Orange
  2. Yellow
  3. White
  4. Blue

Answer: Orange

Traffic warning signs in work zones are usually orange.

Handbook p. 49 ↗
What device type is used to help drivers understand where to move into another lane in a work zone, day or night?
  1. Speed limit signs
  2. Arrow panels
  3. Rumble strips
  4. Slow moving vehicle signs

Answer: Arrow panels

Arrow panels give advance warning and directional information about needed lane shifts in work zones.

Handbook p. 50 ↗
What should you do when you see lane closure signs ahead in a work zone?
  1. Speed up to pass through before the closure
  2. Ignore them unless workers are visible
  3. Prepare to move from the closed lane
  4. Switch lanes immediately regardless of traffic

Answer: Prepare to move from the closed lane

Seeing lane closure signs should prompt you to prepare to move out of the closing lane in good time.

Handbook p. 49 ↗
What should you avoid doing while driving through a work zone with slowing or stopped traffic ahead?
  1. Watching for cones and barricades
  2. Maintaining reasonable spacing
  3. Braking gradually
  4. Weaving from lane to lane

Answer: Weaving from lane to lane

Avoid weaving between lanes in a work zone; observe other drivers and brake gradually instead.

Handbook p. 49 ↗
What device is most often used by trained personnel to stop, slow, or direct traffic through a DC work zone?
  1. STOP/SLOW paddles
  2. Orange flags only
  3. Changeable message signs
  4. Hand signals only

Answer: STOP/SLOW paddles

Trained and certified flaggers commonly use STOP/SLOW paddles to direct work zone traffic.

Handbook p. 49 ↗
Work zone signs and devices are only placed exactly at the work site itself, never in advance of it.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

Work zone devices are set up in advance of the work area and continue beyond it.

Handbook p. 49 ↗
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