Nearly half of the participants in an Associated General Contractors' annual survey said work zones are less safe than a year ago.

Jessie Singer, author of “There Are No Accidents” (Simon & Schuster, 336 pages), works for a nonprofit dedicated to making cities safer for pedestrians and cyclists, but her views of error and accidents go far beyond urban life and cars.

Construction on Fern Hollow Bridge, which collapsed on Jan. 28, could begin by late April.

Darrin Carroll was running a little late for work. At about 7:20 a.m. on a cold January morning in 2019, the sun had not yet shown its face in northern Kentucky. Carroll, who had just reassured his employer that he was on his way, steered his red 2003 Chevrolet flatbed truck east along Richwood Road, a typical two-lane ribbon of black top. That's when everything went wrong.

Span had received poor superstructure ratings for more than a decade before Jan. 28 accident, according to National Bridge Inventory data.

Structural engineers call for more in-depth inspections of coastal buildings in harsh corrosive climates, and offer recommendations that go beyond visual surveys.

I once attended training for fleet drivers who frequently tow trailers. During discussion of attaching the trailer hitch to the truck, the instructor asked if the operators crossed the safety chains under the tongue when connecting.