WILKES-BARRE — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) came together this week with Penn State Health at their Life Lion Hangar to highlight driver safety laws and urge motorists to put safety first.
According to early estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), national traffic fatalities in the first nine months of 2021 rose approximately 12% over 2020.
In Pennsylvania, 2021 preliminary data shows deaths on our roadways increased by as much as 10%, including increases in fatalities in speeding crashes, distracted driving crashes, crashes involving a 16- or 17-year-old driver, as well as unrestrained fatalities.
While fatalities in crashes involving impaired driving have remained relatively flat in recent years, data shows fatalities in crashes involving drinking drivers have been declining, while fatalities in crashes involving drugged drivers have been increasing.
“While we cannot definitively say what is causing fatalities to increase, we can definitively say that safety on our roadways is everyone’s responsibility,” said PennDOT Acting Executive Deputy Secretary Melissa Batula. “Please slow down, pay attention, never drive impaired, and buckle up. Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones in a crash.”
In 2020, it is estimated that 94% of unbelted occupants, or 305 people, who were killed in crashes while traveling in passenger vehicles, including cars, small trucks, vans, and SUVs, could have survived if they had been buckled up.
“We can all do our part to prevent crashes on Pennsylvania’s roadways,” said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Robert Evanchick. “Please keep these important lifesaving laws in mind when you’re behind the wheel.”
PennDOT 2021 crash data is expected to be available by early June. All currently available data is publicly accessible online at PennDOT’s Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool (PCIT).
Pennsylvania’s Highway Safety Law Awareness Week is Feb. 20-26, and this year features safety laws that impact crashes and fatalities each year.
Distracted Driving: Pennsylvania’s Texting-While-Driving Ban prohibits as a primary offense any driver from using an Interactive Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, read or write a text-based communication while his or her vehicle is in motion.
Seat Belts: Pennsylvania law requires any occupant younger than 18 to buckle up when riding in a vehicle, as well as drivers and front-seat passengers. Children under the age of two must be secured in a rear-facing car seat, and children under the age of four must be restrained in an approved child safety seat. Children must ride in a booster seat until their eighth birthday.
Impaired Driving: Pennsylvania law prohibits individuals from driving while impaired by alcohol and/or drugs. Penalties for driving while impaired depend on the individual’s level of impairment and prior offenses and can include up to $10,000 in fines, up to five years in prison, up to 18 months license suspension, one year of ignition interlock, and more.
Speeding: Pennsylvania law on speed restrictions requires motorists to drive at reasonable and prudent speeds for the current conditions. Drivers must drive at a safe and appropriate speed when approaching and crossing intersections, railroad grade crossings, when approaching and going around a curve, while approaching a hill crest, when traveling upon any narrow or winding roadway, and when special hazards exist with respect to pedestrians, other traffic, or weather or highway conditions. This law is sometimes called the “assured clear distance” rule because it requires motorists to operate at a speed at which they can stop within an “assured clear distance.” Drivers may be ticketed for rear-ending another vehicle because they violated this law by not stopping within the following distance they allowed.
Pennsylvania’s Young Driver Law: Pennsylvania licenses young drivers through a three-stage program, reflecting the driver’s gradual progression in skill, experience, and decision-making ability. The law has proven effective in reducing crashes and fatalities for 16- and 17-year-olds.
State reminds dog owners that
licenses are your responsibility
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding this week reminded Pennsylvania dog owners today that a dog license is not only a responsibility, but a tangible way to love your dog and bring them home quickly if they are lost.
The reminder came in recognition of February as “Love Your Dog, License Your Dog” month in Pennsylvania.
“The best way to protect your dog is with a license,” said Secretary Redding. “If your pet gets loose or lost, a chip or tattoo is not a guarantee they will be recognized quickly and returned home. A license is. It’s simple — if you love your dog, license your dog.”
All dogs three months of age and older are required to be licensed. The fee for an annual dog license is $6.50, or $8.50 if the animal is not spayed or neutered. Lifetime licenses are available for dogs with permanent identification such as microchips or tattoos. Discounts are available for qualifying older adults and persons with disabilities.
Licensing dollars support Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, which:
• Reunites licensed lost dogs with their families and gets unlicensed stray dogs to shelters.
• Inspects Pennsylvania kennels and ensures the health and well-being of dogs bred, boarded or sheltered there.
• Investigates illegal kennel operators and holds them accountable.
• Pays farmers whose livestock are attacked by stray dogs or coyotes.
• Protects the public by investigating dog bites, monitoring dangerous dogs and holding their owners accountable.
Pennsylvania dog licenses are available for purchase through Pennsylvania’s county treasurers.
DMVA sets 2022 Virtual
Veteran Town Hall Series
The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) this week announced its Virtual Veteran Town Hall Series.
The series will provide the commonwealth’s nearly 800,000 veterans with a convenient platform to learn and ask questions about programs and benefits earned through their military service.
The first of the five virtual Town Halls will take place from 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, by WebEx. The topic will be veteran suicide prevention, with a focus on the support and resources available to veterans throughout the commonwealth.
Presenters for this first event will be Brig. Gen. (PA) Maureen Weigl, DMVA deputy adjutant general for Veterans Affairs; and Rick Hamp of DMVA, Pennsylvania’s lead for the federal Veterans Administration–Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans and Their Families.
“Veterans often have questions about the benefits they earned through their service to our nation, and the DMVA wants to make it easy for them to get answers,” said Joel Mutschler, DMVA director of the Bureau of Veterans Programs, Initiatives, Reintegration, and Outreach (PIRO). “This 2022 Town Hall Series will address topics that speak to the challenges many veterans are facing every day, while providing the solutions they are looking for. It’s our intent to host these events to better inform and assist our veterans and their families.”
The following are the dates, times and topics for the 2022 Virtual Veteran Town Hall Series:
March 16, 2022, 5p.m.-6:30 p.m. – Veteran Suicide Prevention.
May 18, 5p.m.-6:30 p.m. – Serving Older Veterans.
July 13, 5p.m.-6:30 p.m. – Resources for Homeless Veterans.
Sept. 14, 5-6:30 p.m. – Transportation Issues Facing Veterans.
Nov. 2, 5p.m.-6:30 p.m. – Honoring Veterans for Their Service and Sacrifice.
Sens. Toomey, Risch announce
Russia sanctions legislation
U.S. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, this week joined U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch, R-Idaho, in introducing the Never Yielding Europe’s Territory (NYET) Act to provide the critical support Ukraine needs to defend itself and deter Russian aggression today, while imposing real costs on the Kremlin for its ongoing and potential future aggression against Ukraine.
“If Russia invades Ukraine, the U.S. must impose crippling secondary sanctions on the entirety of Russia’s financial sector,” Toomey said. “That will make it crystal clear to Putin that he cannot afford an attack or occupation of Ukraine. The Never Yielding Europe’s Territory (NYET) Act will provide support to our partners in Ukraine and impose substantial economic harm on the Kremlin. Senate Democrats should help us pass this bill before Russian aggression escalates further.”
Risch added, “While a ‘military’ invasion has not yet occurred, there are other ways Russia can attack Ukraine that would be debilitating for Ukrainians and European security more generally.”