The vehicle-mounted electronic systems will detect and record vehicle license plates and speeds that exceed the posted speed limit by 11 mph or more in work zones where workers are present.
No citations will be issued this fall.
Beginning early next year, registered vehicle owners will receive a warning letter for a first offense, a violation notice and $75 fine for a second offense, and a violation notice and $150 fine for each subsequent offense.
The violations will be civil penalties only. No points will be assessed to drivers' licenses.
The automated enforcement is meant to save lives by reducing work-zone speeds, Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards said Wednesday. Twenty-three people were killed in 1,804 crashes in Pennsylvania work zones in 2018.
"Through this program we are urging motorists to slow down and pay attention while driving, especially in work zones where roadway conditions can change on a daily basis," Richards said in announcing the pilot program.
The automated speed enforcement program was authorized by the Pennsylvania General Assembly last year. A minimum 60-day pilot period will begin next week, mostly in work zones on interstate highways.
Signs will alert drivers that an automated enforcement system is in use.
©2019 the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
