PennDOT, Police, Safety Partners Encourage Drug and Alcohol-Free Driving Over Labor Day Weekend

PennDOT, Police, Safety Partners Encourage Drug and Alcohol-Free Driving
Over Labor Day Weekend

8/30/2017-CALN TOWNSHIP

PennDOT, the Chester County District Attorney, municipal police and AAA
Mid-Atlantic held an event today at the Rite Aid Pharmacy in Downingtown
Borough, Chester County to discourage alcohol and drug-impaired driving
ahead
of the Labor Day holiday as part of a national "Drive Sober or Get Pulled
Over"
campaign which runs through September 4.

"We have seen victims killed by drivers high on heroin. We have seen
victims
killed by drivers high on opioids. We have seen victims killed by drivers
high
on a mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol," Chester County District
Attorney Tom Hogan said. "No matter whether you are misusing street drugs,
prescription drugs, or alcohol while you are driving, you are still sitting
in
a steel missile that weighs a few thousand pounds and is potential death to

anybody who crosses your path."

As part of this high-visibility enforcement effort, Pennsylvania's DUI Task

Forces, the Pennsylvania State Police along with municipal police
departments
will conduct checkpoints and roving patrols to target drug and
alcohol-impaired
drivers. This effort is funded through PennDOT's statewide distribution of
more
than $4 million in federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration. The funds are used for police overtime, equipment and other

associated costs.

According to PennDOT data, in 2016, there were 1,153 drug-related crashes
resulting in 32 fatalities in the Philadelphia region which includes Bucks,

Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Over the 2016
Labor
Day holiday weekend alone, there were 106 drug-related crashes and two
drug-related driving fatalities statewide.

Law Enforcement urges the public to read warning labels on prescription or
over-the-counter medications and celebrate responsibly. Impaired drivers
are
incapable of safe driving operations regardless of the substance; illegal
or
legal.

Pennsylvania continues to enhance its drug-impaired enforcement by training

officers in Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement and the Drug
Recognition Expert programs.

PennDOT encourages you to always plan ahead by designating a sober driver
before you begin drinking or take prescription drugs.

Additional tips to ensure a safe holiday include:

• Before taking prescription drugs, ask your doctor or pharmacist about
potential risk for impairment;
• Never leave a friend alone if they have had too much to drink and might
try
to drive; Take the keys from anyone who has had too much to drink or has
taken
an illegal substance;
• For those without a sober designated driver, call for a cab, community
sober
ride program, ridesharing service or stay put;
• Download the Safer Ride App for Android and Apple phones beforehand and
use
if it needed. It can help a user find a taxi or ridesharing service, call a

friend or family member for assistance, and view of map of their current
location; and
• Always buckle up.

To learn more about PennDOT's efforts to prevent impaired driving or find
information on the department's other safety initiatives, visit
www.penndot.gov/safety.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by
visiting
www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides
traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and
access
to more than 825 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and
Android
devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts
accessible
on the 511PA website.

For more PennDOT information, visit www.penndot.gov. Follow local PennDOT
information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAPhilly, and follow the
department on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentoftransportation and Instagram at
www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot.

To view a complete list of District 6 News Releases: Click
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