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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), announced today that Pennsylvania’s DUI Task Forces, the Pennsylvania State Police, and municipal police departments from Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, will conduct intensified impaired-driving enforcement activities as part of a statewide “Independence Day Mobilization” over the three-day holiday weekend.
Police will use roving patrols and checkpoints to target impaired drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, says PennDOT.
PennDOT data shows that there were 12,825 impaired driving-related crashes in Pennsylvania last year, a significant increase over 2014.
During last year’s Independence Day holiday alone, there were 2,909 crashes and 36 fatalities statewide. Of those, 429 crashes and 15 fatalities were impaired driving-related, according to PennDOT.
The number of DUI-drug arrests also continues to increase across Pennsylvania, with 20,691 charges for driving under the influence of an impairing drug filed in 2015 — a nearly a 10 percent increase from the prior year.
Away from the roads and on Pennsylvania’s waterways, police departments will be trying to enforce Pennsylvania’s BUI laws. Boaters can be arrested for BUI while operating any watercraft if they are incapable of safe operation, regardless of any blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of alcohol and or drugs, says PennDOT.
Drivers and boaters are encouraged to either designate a sober driver or arrange for alternate transportation.
Sounds like a plan.
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