LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Construction is a sight that Arkansans have grown accustomed to over the years, but it’s easy to forget that those working in the area are our friends and neighbors.
"Safety is one of our core values, big time,” said Arkansas Department of Transportation Public Information Officer Dave Parker.
Parker explained that the decision to add green lights to their vehicles was something the department had been looking into for a while.
“About a year and a half ago we started looking at our safety measures, and were they as good as they needed to be and should be," he said. "One of the suggestions was the green lights.”
Simply put, the green lights provide enhanced visibility so that drivers can easily spot workers and their trucks.
“We tried it in the winter of 2023 on some of our snow plows and we got a good response from the public,” Parker said.
With that success, ARDOT received the go-ahead from the Department of Emergency Management to place green lights on all their construction vehicles. But that’s not all the color green is used for with the department.
"When we hire anyone new who is in construction or maintenance for the first six months instead of wearing an orange vest they’ll wear a green vest to let others know it’s a new guy or a new woman. Be sure to watch out for them a little bit more," Parker added.
The decision to wear green is based on each state, with Louisiana adopting the policy in 2020. So far Parker believes it’s had a positive impact here in Arkansas.
“Green is seen everywhere we hope and that’s our thing now. It seems to be working so we’re happy to wear green," he said.
Officials reminded drivers to always be sure to slow down in those construction zones and never text and drive.