![]() However, there are only 17 active locations across the entire state at any one time. This week Berks County has 28 such zones, while Schuylkill has 71, Montgomery has 42, Chester has 28, Delaware has 22, and Lehigh has 44. The Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement website also lists all the active work zones where the cameras could be set up during a given week. Cha-ching for Pa.?Īmong those who oppose work zone speed cameras is the nonprofit National Motorists Association, which calls such programs a predatory practice intended to raise funds.īut the program isn’t designed to make money for the state or as a “got ya” trap for drivers, since each speed zone has two signs warning motorists the cameras are in operation, said Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission spokeswoman Roseann Placey. There was also a reduction in construction zone crashes, and measured, sustained speed reductions were observed in enforced work zones, the report said.įatal crashes in Pennsylvania work zones also continued the be at a 25 percent reduction since before the program was put in place, which officials credit to the automated cameras. The report stated that in 2021, speeding in enforced work zones was reduced to 20% of all traffic, and excessive speeding (11+ mph over the posted speed limit) was reduced to 3%, both of which were improvements. “The data has shown that AWZSE is an effective tool in improving work zone safety across the Commonwealth, counter to national trends of increasing work zone crashes,” it said. In the program’s 2022 report, officials said the automated cameras are making a difference. ![]() All of the deaths were motorists, as there were no workers fatally injured. Those accidents resulted in 16 deaths and 89 suspected serious injuries. There were 1,649 work zone crashes in 2021, according to PennDOT. “We hope the cameras make folks think more about their speed when they’re driving through, and that it will save lives.” “Speed and aggressive driving are a problem in work zones,” he said. Adam Reed, who directs the PSP communications office, remembers seeing crashes and near misses in construction zones while he was patrolling highways. It’s a civil offense, so no points are assessed on their driver’s license. (BILL UHRICH - READING EAGLE)įor the driver’s first offense a warning is mailed, while the second offense lands them a fine of $75, and the third offense a fine of $150. Construction zone cameras have been deployed on I-78 in Greenwich Township. ![]() “It’s a tool to change driver behavior so they go the posted speed limit in construction zones,” said PennDOT Bureau of Operations Director Dan Farley. And because the units are deployed in eight-hour shifts, they can be used at two different construction zones in the same day. ![]() Only Maryland and Illinois have similar programs.ĭuring construction season, cameras are usually set up in parked white Jeep Cherokees at 17 active work zones at a time throughout the state.Īctive work zones are possible year-round, but are weather dependent so motorists will see more during spring, summer and fall months. State police review and affirm select violations and provide speed and quality control testing. It is run jointly by PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission with the assistance of a contracted administrator. The Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program began in Pennsylvania on March 9, 2020, after being created by the state legislature. Though some drivers are still surprised when they receive a letter informing them that they were caught speeding by automated devices, there is a growing understanding of the program, and it’s motivating motorists not to drive too fast or distracted through construction areas, officials say. More than two years into Pennsylvania’s use of unmanned cameras to enforce speeds in active work zones, state officials believe the pilot program is making a difference in keeping workers and travelers safe, reducing crashes, and changing dangerous driving habits.
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