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National Teen Driver Safety Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
   

October 22, 2024

Shapiro Administration Launches New Driver Work Zone Safety Program During National Teen Driver Safety Week

Carlisle, PA — Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike), launched a new, statewide training program to improve new driver safety and roadway worker protection. The launch took place at Carlisle High School to highlight teen driver safety during National Teen Driver Safety Week.

Pennsylvania’s New Driver Work Zone Safety Program is a training project that uses engaging videos, infographics, knowledge checks, and powerful testimonials to teach new drivers work zone laws, signage and key facts, in addition to offering real-life scenarios to enhance understanding. This new program launched during National Teen Driver Safety Week, an annual observance aimed at educating safe driving among teens, and all new drivers in the commonwealth.

“PennDOT wants you to be safe whether you’re working on our roadways or driving on them, and we take many precautions to keep work zones safe for everyone,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “We’re always looking for ways to improve safety on our roadways, for drivers of all ages and experience levels. That’s why we were proud to partner with the PA Turnpike on this program.”

The free, 35-minute virtual course is currently available in English and Spanish via PennDOT’s website. The transportation agencies will also collaborate on hands-on training opportunities to supplement the course.

“We are thrilled to help launch this program, which furthers our commitment to safety – the driving force for everything we do here at the PA Turnpike,” said Chief Operating Officer Craig Shuey. “Our roadway is only as safe as the drivers who use it and helping them understand the importance of slowing down and paying attention in work zones is critical.”

Last October, Oklahoma became the first state in the nation to require new drivers to pass a work zone safety course to get their licenses. After hearing about Oklahoma’s success, the PA Turnpike developed a playbook for introducing a similar program and has been working with PennDOT to make it a reality. The project was funded through  $50,000 from the Federal Highway Administration State Transportation Innovation Council Incentive Program.

“FHWA’s State Transportation Innovation Council Incentive Program is an important way we are helping states to advance innovative solutions to address their unique transportation needs,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Kristin White. “Improving work zone safety is a priority for FHWA and we are pleased to see Pennsylvania deploying federal funding to achieve this goal.”

In recent years, more than four out of every 10 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania involved deaths or injuries. There are more than 1,400 work zone crashes across Pennsylvania annually, with more than 600 resulting in injuries and 15 in death.

While the program is free and encouraged for all Pennsylvania residents, it is especially beneficial for new drivers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drivers aged 16-19 are nearly three times more likely to die in a crash than drivers aged 20 and up per mile driven.

“As Secretary of Education, I care deeply about the health and safety of Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million learners both in and out of the classroom,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “Knowledge is power, and this practical, experiential learning opportunity will help new drivers keep themselves—and others—safe while they’re on the road.”

From 2019 to 2023, there were nearly 80,000 crashes involving at least one teen driver in Pennsylvania, resulting in 483 fatalities. Some key factors in crashes involving teen drivers in Pennsylvania include driver inexperience, driver distractions, driving too fast for conditions, and improper or careless turning. The risk of a crash involving any of these factors can be reduced through practice, limiting the number of passengers riding with a teen driver, obeying all rules of the road, and using common sense.

The joint training project extends PennDOT and the PA Turnpike’s collaboration on increased work zone safety awareness. Both organizations host work zone-related educational events throughout the year. This March, PennDOT and the PA Turnpike, in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Police, started enforcement of the statewide Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program, which uses vehicle-mounted systems and electronic speed timing devices to detect and record motorists exceeding posted work zone speed limits by 11 miles per hour or more.

For more information on the New Driver Work Zone Safety Program, please visit Young Driver (pa.gov).

Scarecrow Time!

It’s time to welcome the scarecrows!!!  Pick up supplies in the Borough’s parking lot at 40 N. Main St. from Oct. 4th through Oct. 6th (first come, first served, and please take one bag of straw per scarecrow frame).  Take a week to create your spooky masterpiece and then any time between Oct. 12th to 13th you can drop off your completed scarecrow on the side of the Borough building (propped against the wall near the steps).  They will be displayed on street light poles throughout the Borough until Halloween.  Thank you for participating!!!

PennDOT – Winter Preparations, New Laws & Equipment

10/3/24

PennDOT Begins Winter Preparations, New Laws and New Equipment Will Enhance Traveler Safety

Secretary Carroll highlights new safety measures, signed into law by Governor Shapiro, that will make construction and maintenance operations more visible to travelers.

PennDOT encourages Pennsylvanians to apply for temporary equipment operator positions statewide for the winter season to help supplement the department’s full-time staff and keep travelers safe.

Harrisburg, PA –Today, in partnership with the PA Turnpike, PennDOT highlighted their preparations for the winter season to ensure Pennsylvanians can travel safely and efficiently across the Commonwealth. New measures signed into law by Governor Shapiro will help keep travelers safe this winter – and new equipment funded by the Governor’s first budget will ensure PennDOT can clear roadways quickly in the event of inclement weather.

“Keeping Pennsylvanians’ travel as safe as possible is at the core of PennDOT’s mission, and the new lighting option signed into law by the Governor is another way we can enhance safety,” Carroll said. “PennDOT and our partners are prepared for the season ahead and we urge the public to prepare themselves and their vehicles as well. We also encourage people to apply to join our full-time or temporary teams to help make this winter a safe one.”

 

Vehicles from each agency were on site equipped with new, additional green lights which are incorporated with existing flashing or revolving yellow (amber) lights. This additional strategy aims to increase safety by making construction and maintenance operations more visible. PennDOT, the PA Turnpike, municipalities, and contractors working on their behalf may now install flashing or revolving green lights in addition to yellow (amber) lights after Governor Josh Shapiro signed Act 78 of 2024 on July 17. The lights have been used in other states and are proven to improve vehicles’ visibility.

 

The public can access travel information on nearly 40,000 state-maintained roadway miles year-round at www.511PA.com, and during the winter they can find plow-truck locations and details of when state-maintained roadways were last plowed. The information is made possible by PennDOT’s Automated Vehicle Location technology, which uses units in the over 2,600 department-owned and rented plow trucks to send a cellular signal showing a truck’s location. 

 

To help the public prepare for the season and share information about winter services, PennDOT offers operational information and traveler resources on its winter web page. The site also has a complete winter guide with detailed information about winter services in each of PennDOT’s 11 engineering districts.

 

As part of its mission and commitment to safety, the PA Turnpike has been preparing its vehicles and system to support roadway safety during the winter months. More than 600 equipment operators and safety patrol personnel as well as traffic operators are ready to provide 24/7 staffing and roadway assistance throughout the winter. The PA Turnpike understands the importance of supporting efficient and reliable travel and works to keep the PA Turnpike system as free of snow and ice as possible.

 

“We all know that winter weather can be tricky in Pennsylvania,” Shuey said. “Drivers need to be aware of the conditions and drive accordingly. We have employees out there working to clear the roadway who want to get home to their families, so we ask drivers to give plenty of distance between them and the plow trucks, and don’t try to pass trucks spreading salt. It will keep our employees safe and our customers safe. The agencies here today spend a lot of time planning and preparing our crews and resources so that when the first snowflakes fall, we can properly deploy what is needed and where.” 

 

With more than $186 million budgeted for this winter’s statewide operations, PennDOT deploys about 4,700 on-the-road workers, has more than 728,000 tons of salt on hand across the state and will take salt deliveries throughout the winter. 

 

PennDOT is actively seeking temporary equipment operators statewide for the winter season to supplement the department’s full-time staff. Details on minimum requirements – such as possession of a CDL – as well as application information?, are available at www.employment.pa.gov/penndot. Through the same website and www.employment.pa.gov, job seekers can apply for other non-operator winter positions such as diesel and construction equipment mechanics, welders, clerks and more.

 

If motorists encounter snow or ice-covered roads, they should slow down, increase their following distance and avoid distractions. Last winter in Pennsylvania, preliminary data shows that there were 151 crashes resulting in three fatalities and 55 injuries on snowy, slushy or ice-covered roadways where aggressive-driving behaviors such as speeding or making careless lane changes were factors.

 

Motorists should prepare for potential wintry weather by ensuring they have supplies in their cars before heading out: food, water, blankets, extra gloves and hats, cell phone charger, hand or foot warmers, windshield brush and scraper, and any specialized items like medications or baby and pet supplies.

 

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 

Solicitation Permit Approved

CBRPD approved a solicitation permit in Chalfont Borough for Green Star Exteriors, active 10/1/24 thru 10/31/24.  Solicitation hours are 9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday through Saturday, solicitation is not permitted on Sundays. Employee, Dakota Lieske, was given an ID badge (issued by CBRPD) showing his name, photo, “Green Star Exteriors,” and valid dates of permit noted on his badge.

PennDOT Announces 8th Annual “Innovation Challenge” for High School Students

PennDOT Announces Eighth Annual ‘Innovations Challenge’ for Pennsylvania High School Students

Submission deadline is Jan. 31, 2025

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that high school students from around the state are invited to participate in the eighth annual PennDOT Innovations Challenge, which encourages students to use their problem-solving, creative and strategic-thinking abilities to solve real-world transportation challenges in a competition among their peers. The Innovations Challenge is open to all students in grades 9-12, regardless of their school’s learning model.

On average, more than 350 unrestrained fatalities occur on Pennsylvania’s roadways annually. PennDOT is committed to continuously improving roadway safety and deploys a multi-faceted strategy, which involves promoting behavioral programs and implementing infrastructure improvements. Nevertheless, the number of unrestrained fatalities remains high and changing driver and passenger behavior is crucial to solving this issue.

For this year’s challenge, students are asked to develop a cost-effective, innovative solution that can help PennDOT more effectively increase awareness of seat belt safety and change behavior to improve roadway safety.

“Safety is the focus of everything we do at PennDOT, and seat belt safety is vital to reducing fatalities and moving toward zero deaths on our roadways,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Hearing fresh perspectives from our youngest drivers on how to encourage seat belt usage and change behavior is a welcome prospect. I am excited to see what concepts the students develop.”

Regional Innovations Challenge winners will be selected and invited to present their solutions to the PennDOT Secretary and a panel of judges, who will determine the statewide winner. For this year’s challenge, four different organizations are providing a combined total award of $6,000 to the statewide winning team.

These organizations include: the Transportation Policy and Education Foundation, an educational arm of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors (APC) organization; the American Council of Engineering Companies of PA (ACEC/PA); the Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (MASITE) and the Intelligent Transportation Society of Pennsylvania (ITSPA) are providing a combined

For complete Innovations Challenge details, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/innovation and click on the blue Innovations Challenge tile on the right side of the page. The submission deadline is Jan. 31, 2025.

Subscribe to statewide PennDOT news and traffic alerts at www.penndot.pa.gov/news or choose a region under “Regional Offices.” Information about the state’s infrastructure and results PennDOT is delivering for Pennsylvanians can be found at www.penndot.pa.gov/results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.