'Operation Safe Holiday' targets drunk drivers

‘Operation Safe Holiday’ targets drunk drivers

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on December 23, 2015

The holiday season continues to be the leading time period for traffic crashes, said a PennDOT press release. In 2014, 4,184 crashes and 41 fatalities statewide occurred during the Christmas and New Year travel periods.

As a result, PennDOT, state and local police, the Pennsylvania DUI Association, the Delaware County District Attorney, the Delaware County TMA, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and AAA Mid-Atlantic announced a regional impaired-driving enforcement as part of “Operation Safe Holiday,” a campaign encouraging safe driving through the holiday season, the release said.

At a press conference at the Haverford Township Police Department in Havertown on Monday, Dec. 21, police discussed the use of sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols and regular traffic safety patrols to crack down on motorists who are driving while impaired. The Pennsylvania State Police and hundreds of municipal police departments statewide are partnering with PennDOT during Operation Safe Holiday to increase traffic safety enforcement through the New Year’s holiday.

The operations are part of the Pennsylvania High Visibility Enforcement Program and is funded partly by PennDOT’s statewide distribution of $4.6 million in federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Please visit www.justdrivePA.com for more information.

The Pennsylvania DUI Association’s DUI Victims’ Moving Memorial, housed in a 30-foot trailer, was also on display. The memorial is a replica of the permanent DUI Victims’ Memorial Garden in Harrisburg and includes a 25-foot wall printed with the names of people who have been killed by drunk drivers.

PennDOT encourages motorists to make sure they are well-rested and alert before traveling. Travelers should also rotate drivers and take frequent breaks.

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 770 traffic cameras. For more information, visit www.penndot.gov.