ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - All this week is National Work Zone Awareness Week, and the Virginia Department of Transportation is taking this time to remind drivers to be safe.
In 2014, work zone crashes killed 15 people in Virginia alone.
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"It's very scary," said VDOT Supervisor Tammie Sowers. "We're always screaming 'watch your back, watch your back!'"
Sowers crew spent Wednesday removing trees and overhanging limbs on Olsen Road in Roanoke County.
"That's what we deal with a lot of times, people driving by and texting, not paying attention to our stop signs," she said. "It can be very intense, we're always looking over our backs."
VDOT is working to raise awareness about the issue.
Wednesday night, the agency held a vigil to remember those 15 victims of work zone crashes in Albemarle County.
Police say there are plenty of signs on the road to warn drivers, but often times it doesn't matter.
"(Drivers) are always running up on workers," said Roanoke City Police Officer Rick Clark. "They're not really paying attention to those signs until they're forced to move over."
Clark and Sowers hope drivers will pay more attention and hopefully avoid another tragedy.