Indiana, PA – In an effort to enhance the safety on Butler County roads for construction workers, drivers and passengers, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) have teamed to deploy Operation Yellow Jacket in highway work zones.
Operation Yellow Jacket places state police troopers inside PennDOT vehicles in active construction zones. While inside the vehicles, they can monitor for traffic violations such as speeding, tailgating, distracted driving, and other violations. If the trooper sees a violation, they will communicate to another trooper in a marked PSP patrol unit to initiate a traffic stop.
"Speeding in work zones is a preventable thing,” said Pennsylvania State Police Troop D – Butler Station Sergeant IIan Elliott. “People working in those areas have a multitude of things on their minds and there are a lot of moving pieces. Distracted driving or aggressive driving puts everyone on our roads at risk.”
“We’re grateful to the Pennsylvania State Police for partnering with us on Yellow Jacket operations in Butler County,” said PennDOT Butler County Maintenance Manager Mike Mattis. “When you approach work zones, please follow the posted speed limits, watch for signs and flaggers, and remain patient—for your safety and for the safety of highway workers.”
Operation Yellow Jacket is part of a broader effort to curb the number of work zone crashes in the region. In 2025, PennDOT recorded 1,393 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania, resulting in 12 fatalities, and 49 serious injuries. Since 1970, PennDOT has lost 93 workers in the line of duty.
State law requires drivers to slow down, turn on their headlights, and obey all posted speed limits and traffic patterns when driving through work zones. Under Title 75, Section 3326, drivers caught by police driving 11 mph or more above the posted speed limit in an active work zone, or who are involved in a crash in an active work zone and are convicted for failing to drive at a safe speed, automatically lose their license for 15 days. Fines for certain traffic violations — including speeding, driving under the influence, and failure to obey traffic devices — are doubled for active work zones. The law also provides for up to five years of additional jail time for individuals convicted of homicide by vehicle for a crash that occurred in an active work zone.
Additionally, under Paul Miller’s Law, people operating a vehicle may not use a mobile interactive device even if the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or other momentary delay. The law applies to anyone operating a motor vehicle on a roadway, including delivery drivers, ride share operators, commercial vehicle drivers, emergency vehicle drivers, or bus drivers.
Under Paul Miller’s Law, drivers can still use their phones to alert emergency responders and, if they are using hands-free technology, to make phone calls, use a GPS, and listen to music.
Paul Miller's Law went into effect last year, but for the first year police were only permitted to issue warnings. As of June 5, violations are punishable by a fine of $50 plus costs, with a total amount of a citation over $200.
“We encourage all drivers to follow posted speed limits, wear seatbelts, stay aware of their surroundings, and avoid any distractions that take attention away from the road,” said PennDOT District 10 Assistant District Executive for Maintenance Matt Burkett. “We want everyone to return home safely to their families and friends, so make the choice to drive responsibly every day.”
For more work zone safety information, please visit pa.gov/dotsafety. Pennsylvania’s New Driver Work Zone Safety Program is a free, 35-minute virtual training program that equips participants with the knowledge they need to navigate safely in work zones.
Drivers can check conditions on major roadways 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 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict10.
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MEDIA CONTACTS: Bertha Cazy, Pennsylvania State Police, 724-284-8100 or bcazy@pa.gov
Tina Gibbs, PennDOT, 724-357-2829 or chgibbs@pa.gov