PennDOT launches eighth Innovations Challenge for high school students

Harrisburg, Pa. — With the school year underway, PennDOT is challenging high school students around the state with its annual problem-solving competition. The annual challenge presents students in grades 9-12 with real-life transportation-related problems, which they must use creative and strategic skills to solve.

This year's challenge asks students to develop a cost-effective, innovative solution to increase awareness of seat belt safety and change people's behavior to improve road safety.

On average, more than 350 unrestrained fatalities — deaths that may have been prevented if a person was wearing a seat belt — occur on Pennsylvania’s roadways every year. Changing driver and passenger behavior is crucial to solving this problem.

“Safety is the focus of everything we do at PennDOT, and seat belt safety is vital to reducing fatalities and moving toward zero deaths on our roadways,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Hearing fresh perspectives from our youngest drivers on how to encourage seat belt usage and change behavior is a welcome prospect. I am excited to see what concepts the students develop.”

Regional Innovations Challenge winners will be selected and invited to present their solutions to the PennDOT Secretary and a panel of judges, who will determine the statewide winner.

This year, four different organizations are providing a combined total award of $6,000 to the statewide winning team. These organizations include: the Transportation Policy and Education Foundation, an educational arm of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors (APC) organization; the American Council of Engineering Companies of PA (ACEC/PA); the Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (MASITE) and the Intelligent Transportation Society of Pennsylvania (ITSPA).

For complete details about this year's challenge, visit the Innovations Challenge webpage . The submission deadline is Jan. 31, 2025.