Automated speed enforcement cameras are up and running
The 60-day clock has begun for the “pre-enforcement testing period” of automated speed cameras in Pennsylvania highway work zones. That means fines for traveling more than 10 miles per hour over the speed limit could begin to be levied as soon as mid-January.
At present, there are two speed cameras in operation. One is on I-78 between mile markers 35 and 43, and the other on I-476 between mile markers 31 and 38.
As is the case in Maryland, the Commonwealth will let you know exactly where they are deployed. All one needs to do is visit the work zone cameras website, conveniently found at workzonecameras.penndot.gov. Additionally, there will be two warning signs in advance of any automated work zone.
Once enforcement begins, owners of offending vehicles will receive a violation notice in the mail. A first offense will result in a warning, a second offense a $75 fine and subsequent offenses fines of $150. There will be no points assessed on drivers’ licenses.
Maryland’s automated speed enforcement program has been in place for several years and has proven to be successful in encouraging motorists to slow down. When the program began, 7 percent of drivers were in violation. Today, the violation rate has dropped to less than 1 percent.
“While the new law focuses on active work zones, where workers are present, the traveling public can also benefit from reducing speeds in work zones,” said PHIA Managing Director Jason Wagner. “According to the Federal Highway Administration, nearly 80 percent of victims of work-zone fatalities are drivers or passengers.”
