PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Permanent use of speed cameras in Pennsylvania work zones took effect on Tuesday in an effort to make roads safer. PennDOT and PA Turnpike in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Police announced that the statewide Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program has begun permanently after a five-year pilot period.
"We feel that the program has been very helpful in making our work zones safer and changing driver behavior," said Dave Thompson, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 8.
The cameras in marked work zone areas detect drivers exceeding the posted speed limit by 11 miles per or more. The first infraction comes with a warning. The second penalty comes with a $75 fine and a $150 fine for the third and subsequent violations.
"Enforcement is the number one tool that we have to get people to slow down wherever they are on our roadways but especially in work zones," said Thompson.
The five-year pilot program originally called Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement officially became permanent when Governor Josh Shapiro signed House Bill 1284 into law in December 2023. The new legislation made several adjustments to the pilot program including a 15-day warning period following the first violation to give Pennsylvania drivers a chance to adjust to the new means of enforcement. Drivers will not receive a second violation if caught speeding within the 15-day time period after the mail date of the first violation.
The intention of the new law is simple. It aims to reduce the number of crashes in work zones and ultimately reduce the number of unnecessary tragedies for both workers and drivers on the road.
"It’s not just about the workers, it’s about the motorists and the passengers who are traveling through the work zones. We want everybody to be safe," said Thompson. "It’s not just that person and their family it can impact many people when someone is killed or injured in a work zone."
According to state data, nearly half of all work zone crashes in 2022 resulted in death and injuries. Since 1970, 90 PennDOT workers have died in the line of duty.
"Anytime one of our workers or one of our contractors or consultants is injured or killed in a work zone it affects the entire PennDOT family," said Thompson.
Under the five-year pilot program, crashes dropped by up to 50%, a trend officials hope continues to make Pennsylvania roadways safer.
"Work zone safety is incredibly important," said Thompson. "Anything that we can do to get people to slow down and drive more safely through our work zones is definitely a positive thing."