It’s important to Becki Slater that you truly understand who her son was and what he meant to so many. Slater described Zane Reilly as a funny young man with “infectious laughter” who was mechanically inclined. Zane was empathetic, relatable, mature. But in November 2022, a driver swerved into a Sauk County work zone where Zane was on the job, hitting and killing him. He was just 25. “It wasn’t just a loss for our family, it was a loss for so many people. No families, no communities, no companies should have to go through this,” Slater said. In an effort to prevent such tragedies, Slater joined WTBA and its coalition partners in announcing the launch of Work Zone Safe Wisconsin (WZSW) at a news conference in Lodi this morning. WZSW (https://lnkd.in/gjDVtQpa) brings work zone learning and comprehension to the forefront in driver’s ed schools all across the state. The free online program offers a personalized and immersive online course, filled with the latest laws, rules, and – most importantly – the personalized stories of people whose lives changed forever because of careless or inattentive driving in work zones. “We’ve got men and women putting their lives on the line every day, keeping our highways open and maintained, our roadways safe for travelers and a lot of us are oblivious to that,” WTBA Executive Director Steve Baas said. “We decided we were going to do something more than complain about it. We were going to put our money where our mouth is.” The program is a tailor-made course that allows driver's ed schools to comply with a new law requiring at least 30 minutes of work zone education for students to graduate. Thanks to the WTBA and generous sponsor support (including the WCHA - The Wisconsin County Highway Association (WCHA)'s $500 scholarship awarded to a teen who successfully completes the program each month), WZSW is offered free of charge, 24/7/365. “This education is so important. It really takes a village,” Slater said. “We have to think about how important everyone is in the role of a young driver, in all drivers, really.” In addition to Becki Slater, special thanks to Becky Woller with Integrity Grading & Excavating, Inc., Walbec Group/Zenith Tech crews, Work Zone Safe founder Tom Robins, and WCHA Exec. Director Patrick Vander Sanden for speaking at today’s kickoff press conference. We'll be in the Eau Claire area tomorrow. #WorkZoneSafety
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