A tragic trend is emerging at West Virginia’s roadwork sites. Rather than paying more attention as we approach work zones, we seem to be paying less — with deadly consequences.

Last week, the West Virginia Department of Transportation said a woman was killed while working as a flagger for the construction company working on the U.S. 340 widening project in Jefferson County.

According to a news release from the DOT, the flagger had stopped traffic when a car sped into the work zone, swerved to miss the traffic and instead hit her. Though bystanders reportedly were able to lift that vehicle off the woman, she died on the way to the hospital.

This is the second such incident in less than a month. On March 14, a DOT worker was hit on U.S. 50 in Clarksburg and was hospitalized. Also this year, a DOT worker was hit and injured on Interstate 79 in Braxton County.

DOT Secretary Jimmy Wriston asked drivers to “remain vigilant in work zones.”

“I’m very sad for the family and our partner, A.L.L. Construction. It’s so senseless that we can’t seem to make better choices when we get behind the wheel of our automobiles,” he said.

J.W. Hawk, with A.L.L. Construction also begged the traveling public to pay attention, especially in work zones. “They need to slow down and pay attention, and adhere to all signs,” he said.

Wriston went further: “I implore all drivers to please lay down your cell phone, stay focused, and obey all the rules of the road, especially in the many work zones around the state.”

Is whatever is distracting us from giving our full attention to the road while we drive really worth more than our own lives and the lives of others? Of course not. But most drivers don’t think about it that way.

They should. Here in the Mountain State we’ve been given three horrible examples just this year that staying focused on the road really can be a matter of life and death.