Friday, September 7, 2018

State Police Report Fewer Crashes This Labor Weekend Compared to Last Year

Fewer crashes were investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) over the 2018 Labor Day holiday weekend compared to the same period last year.

The official holiday driving period was Aug. 31 through Sept. 3, 2018. Troopers investigated 722 crashes over the holiday weekend, which marks a decrease from the 794 investigated during Labor Day weekend last year. In those crashes this year, six people were killed and 224 others were injured.

State police cited 929 individuals for not wearing seat belts over the weekend and issued citations to 194 motorists for not securing children in safety seats.

Troopers also issued 13,041 speeding citations and arrested 660 operators for driving under the influence. Of the 722 crashes investigated by PSP, 80 of those were alcohol related. Alcohol was a factor in three of the six fatal crashes.

The statistics cover only those crashes investigated by state police and do not include statistics on incidents to which other law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania responded.





In addition to the work of enforcing traffic laws, troopers remain proactive in educating the public on traffic safety and applicable laws. In 2017, state police members conducted more than 3,500 driver education presentations.