Help keep people safe in their communities and on Pennsylvania's roads
“All of Pennsylvania’s citizens have the right to live happy, healthy lives free from fear about their and their family’s personal safety.”-Governor Tom Wolf
Why is this goal important?
The commonwealth has an obligation to ensure that Pennsylvania residents and visitors are safe and secure. This obligation includes improving the safety of our roadways, protecting victims of crimes, making our classrooms a safe place to learn, and strengthening the resilience of communities to natural and human-caused disasters. By keeping Pennsylvania safe, state government lays the foundation for achieving other goals, from educating students and building a prosperous economy, to promoting public health and increasing government efficiency.
What are we working on to reach this goal?
Governor Wolf is committed to strengthening public safety in
Pennsylvania. The governor has followed
through with that commitment by increasing safety and mobility across
Pennsylvania’s communities through the Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation’s (PennDOT’s) “Green Light-Go” program, which will see 70 municipalities receive over $37.8 million
to support traffic signal upgrades. To better target the public health crisis of
gun violence in Pennsylvania, Governor Wolf was tasked with
reducing community gun violence, combating mass shootings, and halting domestic
violence-related and self-inflicted shootings. The governor's Executive Order
also created an 18-member Special Council on Gun Violence within PCCD charged
with identifying recommendations to reduce incidents of gun violence within the Commonwealth. He launched a School Safety
Task Force to gather community input and develop a report that details solutions to improve
school safety, security, and preparedness.
Governor Wolf also created a School Safety and Security Committee tasked with developing the criteria that
school entities are to use when performing school safety and security
assessments. The Wolf Administration made Pennsylvania the first state to
launch an “It’s On Us” campaign and award grants to address the crisis of sexual assault in
schools and on college campuses. In 2018, the governor signed two major pieces
of legislation, Tierne’s Law and Act 79, to strengthen protections for victims of
domestic violence. In other legislative accomplishments that make Pennsylvania
safer, Governor Wolf increased penalties for hazing by signing the Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law, and overhauled the state’s animal abuse
statute by approving Act 10 of 2017.
How are we doing?
The chart below shows the trend in annual traffic crash fatalities in Pennsylvania. Although the number of fatalities has decreased in recent years, there's still more work to do. Too many people continue to lose their lives on Pennsylvania's roads.
Related Measures
School Safety: Drug and Alcohol Use in Schools
The chart below shows the trend in the number of incidents involving reported possession, use, or sale of drugs or alcohol in Pennsylvania schools.
Related Content
Return to Governor's Goals Homepage