June 19, 2015

PennDOT has recognized an innovative Chester County program to improve pedestrian safety, said District Attorney Tom Hogan.

The Chester County Highway Safety Project received the 2015 Project of the Year Award from PennDOT, said a press release from the District Attorney’s Office. The honor cited the “Cops in Crosswalks” program, an initiative to stop car collisions with pedestrians in congested areas.

Hogan called the Chester County Highway Safety Project, a program administered by his office and directed by Lori Aguilera, one of the “unsung heroes” of the county.

“Lori Aguilera and her team, working with Chester County law enforcement, do an outstanding job addressing traffic safety issues, from kids’ car seats to distracted driving and everything in between,” Hogan said in the release. “The ‘Cops in Crosswalks’ program is another example of a well-conceived program that helps make the streets of Chester County safer.”

The “Cops in Crosswalks” program represented a collaboration between the Chester County District Attorney’s Highway Safety Project and the West Chester Police Department. Under the program, the police conducted pedestrian enforcement details on multiple occasions around South High Street in West Chester, aiming to stop vehicle collisions with pedestrians in the high-density area.

The results of the program revealed some clear patterns, Hogan said. The majority of problems occurred when pedestrians crossed mid-block – traditional “jay-walking.” – where drivers did not expect to see them. In addition, the police saw many incidents of “distracted walking” – pedestrians literally walking into the middle of the street while texting or otherwise absorbed in their smart phones.

Finally, police cited multiple pedestrians for being under the influence of alcohol and wandering into the street. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 30 percent of pedestrians involved in collisions with vehicles are intoxicated.

“It was quite an honor to be recognized by PennDOT and to receive the Project of the Year Award,” said Aguilera in the release. “This was all about trying something new in our county to raise awareness on pedestrian safety issues, having support from our local police departments to conduct the enforcement details, and ultimately reducing the number of pedestrian-related vehicle crashes and fatalities in our area.”

West Chester Police Chief Scott L. Bohn said he believed the project helped to heighten safety in West Chester, which serves as a thriving business and entertainment destination for the region. “We are working hard to raise awareness of the dangers to pedestrians, and to provide leadership, expertise, and resources to reduce crashes and improve the quality of life in our community,” Bohn said.

Hogan said the program “effectively showed some of the primary causes of pedestrian-involved crashes” and how they can be prevented. “We hope that this award-winning Chester County program can be replicated across Pennsylvania,” he said, adding that he expects to implement it in other parts of the county.

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During a Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee meeting that state Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160, Chester/Delaware, held this week, three bills benefiting both veterans and emergency responders were unanimously approved. The bills now await a vote by the full House.

“As majority chairman of the committee, I am pleased that the committee continues to be active and pass bills that will improve the lives of our veterans and emergency responders,” Barrar said in a press release. “These bills will have a real impact on these two very important communities that we serve, and I look forward to voting on them on the House floor.”

House Bill 784, sponsored by state Rep. Bryan Barbin, D-Cambria, would provide a “Veterans First” $1,000 tax credit to small businesses with fewer than 100 employees who hire unemployed veterans. The credit is available for up to three years per veteran at each business for a maximum for $3,000. This program could create an estimated 12,500 jobs for Pennsylvania veterans who have been unemployed for more than six months. According to the 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 19,000 unemployed veterans in Pennsylvania.

House Bill 677, sponsored by state Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre, would protect both the public and our emergency responders by notifying the county 911 coordinator and county EMA director when hazardous materials are located within a facility. This would enable emergency responders to use all relevant information if they need to respond to an emergency.

Senate Bill 285, sponsored by state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, would dedicate $15 from each application for an “Honor our Veterans” motorcycle license plate to the Pennsylvania Veterans Trust Fund.

This week, Barrar also saw advancement on one of his bills. The House Insurance Committee held an informational meeting on his legislation to limit retroactive denials of insurance reimbursements.

“Currently, no law prohibits insurers from retroactively denying paid claims as far in the past as they wish,” Barrar said in the release. “Receiving a bill for service that the insurer paid years in the past could mean financial hardship or even devastation; it’s a ludicrous concept, and we all need a greater protection.”

House Bill 1178 would allow insurers one year to retroactively deny reimbursement to a health care provider. If a reimbursement is retroactively denied, the insurer must provide a written statement to the health care provider explaining why the claim was reviewed and subsequently denied.

If the reimbursement is retroactively denied because it is determined that another party is responsible for the payment, the health care provider will have six months from the date of the denial—unless an insurer permits a longer time period—to submit a claim for reimbursement to the insurer, the Medical Assistance program or the Medicare program responsible for the payment.

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