Permanent work zone speed camera program now in effect
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - An automated speed enforcement camera is seen in use on the Gold Star Highway near Shenandoah in July 2021.
HARRISBURG – Work zone speed enforcement cameras will now be a mainstay on Pennsylvania highways.
PennDOT, the Turnpike commission, and State Police announced the start of the Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program Tuesday. The program is the successor to the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement pilot program, which began in 2018.
Act 38 of 2023 made the program permanent.
The legislation made several adjustments, effective Feb. 15, 2024, including a new 15-day warning period beginning on the mail date of the first violation.
If a driver is caught speeding through a work zone by Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras, they will not receive a second violation until 15 days after the mail date of their first violation.
This allows time for the warning to be delivered to the motorist to ensure they are aware of the program and change their driving behavior.
Once the 15-day warning period has ended, multiple violations can be received on consecutive days, and even on the same day.
Additionally, under the new legislation, all violations are reset, meaning every motorist will start over with a first violation, even if they had received violations under the pilot program.
Violations that were issued prior to Feb. 15, 2024, during the pilot program are still valid and will continue to be pursued.
PennDOT says that, over the course of the five years of the pilot program’s operation, there was a 38% reduction in speeding in work zones (1 mph or more over the speed limit), a 47% reduction in excessive speeding in work zones (11 mph or more over the speed limit), and work zone crashes declined by up to 50% when a speed enforcement vehicle was present.
“The Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program is about making work zones safer for both workers and motorists by reducing speeds and changing driver behavior,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said in a media release. “Data from the pilot program shows it was successful, and we’re pleased that it’s now a permanent program in Pennsylvania.”
The program uses vehicle-mounted systems to detect and record motorists exceeding posted work zone speed limits by 11 miles per hour or more using electronic speed timing devices.
Camera systems are only operational in active work zones where workers are present.
Registered owners will receive a warning letter for a first offense, a violation notice with a $75 fine for a second offense, and a violation notice with a $150 fine for third and all subsequent offenses.
These violations are civil penalties only; no points will be assessed to driver’s licenses.
Drivers in northern Schuylkill County saw the system in action on the Gold Star Highway in 2021, the only off-Interstate deployment of the system in our area.
“Many injuries and fatalities in work zones can be prevented if drivers simply slow down, and that’s the goal of this program,” said Pennsylvania State Police Director of the Bureau of Patrol Major Robert Krol. “The cameras have been effective in making our work zones safer, and we look forward to seeing additional results from the program’s full-time implementation.”
In 2022, there were 1,293 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania, resulting in 14 fatalities, and 42% of work zone crashes resulted in fatalities and/or injuries. Since 1970, PennDOT has lost 90 workers in the line of duty.
According to PennDOT’s website, the system can be used during road construction projects on I-81 in throughout Schuylkill County.
About Author
