CENTRE COUNTY — Pennsylvania saw 1,127 traffic fatalities in 2024, marking the second-lowest number of highway deaths since record keeping began in 1928, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). That’s 82 fewer fatalities than in 2023.
“While this decrease in fatalities is certainly good news, even one life lost is one too many,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said in a press release. “We’ll keep working with our partners to reduce traffic deaths through education, outreach and infrastructure improvements. But drivers need to do their part, too — stay alert, slow down, buckle up and never drive impaired. And buckle up! Your seat belt can save your life in a crash.”
As part of Governor Josh Shapiro’s goal to improve transportation safety, PennDOT invests roughly $32.4 million each year in federal grant funds for behavioral safety programs. These initiatives target dangerous driving behaviors like speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving.
PennDOT has invested about $591 million in federal Highway Safety Improvement Program funds for nearly 400 safety projects between 2020 and 2024. Another $50 million in state funds went to low-cost improvements at over 1,000 locations.
There was a significant drop in fatalities involving impaired drivers, falling from 429 in 2023 to 342 in 2024. PennDOT supports impaired driving enforcement with more than $6.2 million from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Enforcement efforts target not just alcohol, but also drug impaired drivers, with more than 260 specially trained Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) assisting in DUI investigations statewide.
Lane departure crashes, where vehicles veer off the road or into opposing lanes, also saw a decline. Fatalities dropped from 629 in 2023 to 537 last year. PennDOT credits its Low-Cost Safety Improvement Program, which has added measures like rumble strips and cable median barriers over the past 15 years, for the continued reduction.
Not all trends were positive. Intersection-related fatalities increased from 301 to 321, with stop sign intersection fatalities rising from 98 to 111. PennDOT continues to address intersection safety with visibility improvements and is currently installing pedestrian countdown timers at nearly 800 signalized intersections, a move expected to cut crashes by about 8%.
PennDOT stresses that most crashes are caused by driver behavior. In fact, 83% of crashes involve some form of human error.
For more information on Pennsylvania crash statistics, visit crashinfo.penndot.pa.gov.
