GHSA maintains data on state laws surrounding a number of highway safety issues. Below is information regarding laws in the state of Pennsylvania. For more information, consult the State Highway Safety Office.
Bicycle helmets required for all riders under 12.
Helmets required for all riders under 21 or who have been licensed for less than 2 years, except those who complete a PennDOT- or Motorcycle Safety Foundation-approved safety course. Universal helmet law repealed 2003.
4 years
65 and over: choice of 2- or 4-year renewal
Zero tolerance for some drugs
Legal for medical use
Zero tolerance for THC and metabolites
70
70
70
70
70
70
None
Pennsylvania uses programs called Occupational Limited License (OLL) and Ignition Interlock Limited License (IILL)
Mandatory for high BAC (.10 or higher) and repeat convictions
Yes
Yes
.10 and .16
Under 2 yrs (or until outgrows the top height or weight recommendations) in rear-facing child restraint
2-3 yrs in forward-facing child restraint
4-7 yrs booster seat
8-18 yrs
17 years with driver's ed. and 12 months free of crash or conviction 18 without driver's ed.
16
6
65 (10) + 5 in inclement weather
16 / 6
11 p.m. - 5 a.m.
First 6 months: no more than 1 under 18 Thereafter: no more than 3 under 18
Secondary; Primary for occupants ages 8-17
8 and over
8-17 yrs: All (primary enforcement)
No
No
All drivers. Primary law.
Yes (effective June 5, 2025)
Permitted by state law
Active work zones when workers are present; in Philadelphia
Permitted by state law and city ordinance
Specified jurisdictions
The news about deaths on the nation’s highways continues to be positive with pedestrian deaths the latest to show a small reduction. Governors Highway Safety Association projected that pedestrian deaths dropped 4.33% in the first six months of 2023, a reduction of 153 deaths to 3,373.
Amid a recent surge in traffic deaths and dangerous driving behaviors, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has updated the Policies and Priorities that guide the organization’s work to prevent traffic crashes, injuries and deaths on U.S. roads.
Amid a recent surge in traffic deaths and dangerous driving behaviors, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has updated the Policies and Priorities that guide the organization’s work to prevent traffic crashes, injuries and deaths on U.S. roads.
Alcohol, cannabis and multi-substance impaired driving have surged in recent years and account for about one-third of traffic fatalities annually in this country. A new round of grants aims to help lower that death toll by providing law enforcement officers with tools, resources and training to better identify impaired drivers and remove them from the road.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Responsibility.org have awarded $120,000 in grants to four State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO) for programs designed to combat alcohol, cannabis and multi-substance impaired driving, which accounts for approximately one-third of U.S. traffic deaths annually.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Responsibility.org have awarded $120,000 in grants to four State Highway Safety Offices (SHSO) for programs designed to combat alcohol, cannabis and multi-substance impaired driving, which accounts for approximately one-third of U.S. traffic deaths annually.
Iroquois School District joined several other schools in the area, by partnering with United Way to make it safer for their students to walk to class through their "Safer Walking Routes to School" program. Signs are already being installed in Wesleyville, and are soon to come to Lawrence park. Funding for the project came from a $25,000 grant from the National Road Safety Foundation and Governors Highway Safety Association.
In 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) was awarded funds from the National Road Safety Foundation and GHSA to pilot a Safer Walking Routes to School initiative at Iroquois Elementary School with the United Way of Erie County.
While the debate to legalize recreational use of marijuana in PA continues, another debate of sorts has surfaced. That debate centers on the use of cannabis & its connection to driving safety. A recent study is a real eye-opener when it comes to cannabis consumption & driving under the influence.
Walking can be a deadly activity, and it seems to be getting more dangerous every year. On the heels of record-breaking statistics on general traffic deaths earlier this month, the Governors Highway Safety Association released projections that show pedestrian deaths reached a 40-year high in 2021.
