Slow Down in Construction Zones - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

The North Dakota department of transportation is gearing up for another busy construction season.

Reporter Arielle Johnson takes you into the construction zone to see how dangerous things really are.

North Dakota roadways are seeing more traffic then ever before. 

(Arielle Johnson / reporter )"Last year in North Dakota there was a total of 203 car accidents in a work zone, as you can see behind me the traffic sign says slow, but sometimes traffic does otherwise"

A state transportation construction worker became a victim at his own job.

 7 years ago Kent Leysring was struck by a motorist in a construction zone on I 94.

(Kent Leysring / NDDOT) "I was right in front of the trucks working on a hole and the car swerved in front of the trucks and come over and hit my in the head"

Leystring was hit by a motorist going 65 mph.

(Kent Leysring / NDDOT)"Its scary ya know it pops through your head like that could've been a bad one.

  It's a dangerous job -- so officials ask that you slow down.

  Because they say, speeding doesn't get you there faster...

(Bill Wuolo/ ND Safety Council) "It's seconds, even though it may seem like were saving a lot of time and then if you really look into it, if there was an accident they're going to lose time because you have to access the damage to your vehicle, you have to wait for the law enforcement to show up."

  Wuolo says every week 4 accidents happen in construction zones.

(Bill Wuolo/ ND Safety Council) "The real thing is if you hit somebody , whats that going to do them, do they really want that on their conscience?"

  Again -- the North Dakota Safety Council and department of transportation workers ask you to please slow down and be more cautious when driving through a construction zone.