Law Enforcement, PennDOT Focus on Seat-Belt Use, Impaired Driving as Holiday Travel Period Begins

Law Enforcement, PennDOT Focus on Seat-Belt Use, Impaired Driving as
Holiday Travel Period Begins

11/14/2016-KING OF PRUSSIA

The Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation
(PennDOT) invite parents and caregivers to make this holiday season a safer
one
by taking advantage of free car seat checks across the state that will
complement the nationwide Click It or Ticket "Operation Safe Holiday"
enforcement effort occurring from November 20 through December 4.

Troopers and other department members certified as Child Passenger Safety
Technicians will conduct no-cost car seat fittings, at various locations
from
November 14 through November 27, no appointment necessary. Car seats will
be
checked for suitability, and participants will receive instruction on
proper
installation and child restraint. For a complete list of child passenger
seat
fitting stations, please visit www.psp.pa.gov.

"Seat-belts and child passenger safety seats save lives when used
properly,"
said Major Edward Hoke, Director, Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of
Patrol.
"Troopers will be issuing citations for seat-belt and child seat violations
as
part of the enforcement effort, but other focuses of 'Operation Safe
Holiday'
are education and prevention."

Under Pennsylvania law, children under the age of four must be properly
restrained in an approved child safety seat. A new provision, signed into
law
this summer, mandates that children under two-years-old be secured in a
rear-facing car seat. Children from age four to age eight must use an
appropriate booster seat.

Children ages eight to 18 must wear a seat-belt when riding anywhere in a
vehicle and all drivers and front-seat passengers 18-years-old and older
are
required to buckle up.

"Part of PennDOT's mission is to educate the public on safety concerns and
encourage them to do the right thing to protect themselves and their
families,
PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said. "This holiday season we'll work
with
law enforcement to urge travelers to always buckle up and never drive
impaired
by drugs or alcohol."

During enforcement operations, law enforcement will conduct seat belt and
impaired driving enforcement simultaneously because unbelted and impaired
driving crashes are shown to be significant contributors to traffic
injuries
and deaths, especially during nighttime hours

According to PennDOT data, during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period in

2015, including the weekend before and after the holiday as well as the day

itself, there were 4,029 crashes and 45 fatalities in those crashes
statewide.
The Christmas and New Year's travel periods, including the weekend before
Christmas, New Year's and the weekend after, saw 4,985 crashes and 46
fatalities.

Additionally, during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays
last
year, 1,209 of the statewide crashes involved a driver impaired by drugs or

alcohol, with 38 fatalities in those crashes. In that same period, there
were
1,076 crashes with unbuckled occupants, with 48 fatalities in those
crashes.

Officials also encouraged travelers to use the SaferRide app. The app,
developed in 2014 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in
an
effort to curb drunk driving, is available for free download on Android and

Apple devices and is a great option to facilitate a safe ride home after
you've
been drinking. Once the app is downloaded, you can use it to call a taxi or
a
friend by identifying your location so you can be picked up.

The holiday seat-belt and DUI enforcement are funded by part of PennDOT's
statewide distribution of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
enforcement monies this federal fiscal year. For more information on
PennDOT's
highway safety efforts visit, www.penndot.gov/safety.

The public can join the discussion using the hashtag #PASafeHoliday.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Ashley Schoch, PennDOT, 717-783-8800 or Ryan Tarkowski,
PSP,
717-783-5556

# # #

To view a complete list of District 6 News Releases: Click
http://www.penndot.gov/RegionalOffices/district-6/Pages/allnews.aspx

To unsubscribe click
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/penndot/districts/district6/d6media.nsf/unsubscribeform?OpenForm