HARRISBURG, Pa. — Governor Josh Shapiro has directed the Pennsylvania State Police and PennDOT to identify dangerous roadway locations across the Commonwealth and develop a strategic plan to improve roadside safety following the line-of-duty death of Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Michael Pahira Jr.
The directive comes after Trooper Pahira was killed while conducting a commercial vehicle inspection along Interstate 81 in Schuylkill County. His death has sparked renewed attention to the dangers law enforcement officers, tow truck operators, highway workers, EMS personnel, firefighters, and other first responders face while working alongside Pennsylvania’s highways.
According to the governor, the Pennsylvania State Police and PennDOT will work together to identify roadway “trouble spots” where crashes involving roadside workers and emergency responders are more likely to occur. The agencies will review traffic patterns, roadway design, enforcement operations, and existing safety measures before developing recommendations to help reduce the risk of future tragedies.
The review will focus on areas where troopers and other emergency personnel frequently conduct traffic stops, commercial vehicle inspections, crash investigations, and emergency responses. Officials are expected to examine engineering improvements, enforcement initiatives, and public education campaigns that could make roadside operations safer.
The announcement comes as Pennsylvania continues to stress the importance of the state’s Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move into a non-adjacent lane when it is safe to do so or significantly slow down when approaching emergency vehicles, tow trucks, PennDOT vehicles, and other authorized responders displaying flashing lights.
Governor Shapiro said the goal is to identify immediate safety improvements while also developing long-term strategies to better protect those who put themselves in harm’s way every day to serve the public.
The death of Trooper Michael Pahira Jr. has prompted an outpouring of support from law enforcement agencies and communities across Pennsylvania, while serving as a reminder of the critical importance of slowing down, staying alert, and moving over whenever emergency personnel are working along the roadway.
First Source News will continue to follow this developing initiative and provide updates as additional details are released.
