PennDOT, State Farm Partner in Roving Safety Patrols

State Farm will sponsor PennDOT’s roving safety patrol in what is the department’s first public-private partnership, officials announced Tuesday.

The insurance company agreed to a three-year contract to sponsor the roving safety patrol, which will assist drivers on select highways around Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.

The sponsorship will offset about 11 percent of annual cost of the $4 million service, which will now be called the State Farm Safety Patrol. Existing patrol vehicles will get an updated look with the State Farm logo.

The patrol assists motorists with towing, jump starts, flat tire repair and more during the business week on the following roads:

· Lehigh and Northampton counties: Interstate 78, U.S. 22, Route 33 and Route 309;

· Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties: Interstates 76, 95, 476 and 676, U.S. 1, U.S. 30, U.S. 202, U.S. 422, Route 63 and Route 309;

· Cumberland, Dauphin and York counties: Interstates 81 and 83, and Route 581 comprising the Capital Beltway and its approaches; and

· Allegheny County: Interstates 79, 279 and 376 and the Liberty Tunnel.

In 2013, the patrols assisted a total of 17,612 motorists, according to figures from PennDOT.

“The State Farm Safety Patrol program underscores the State Farm commitment to auto safety and embodies our ‘good neighbor’ philosophy,” said Christopher Gude, Vice President Agency, State Farm. “We are proud to sponsor this important program. It helps people recover from the unexpected, which is the heart of the State Farm mission.”