PennDOT, State Police, the Turnpike Commission and the state Insurance Department are reminding drivers to stay safe during the holiday season.
They have joined up on “Operation Safe Holiday”, which will be a series of measures to remind drivers to buckle up, minimize distractions behind the wheel and to never drive impaired by alcohol or drugs. As part of that, a state-wide Click It or Ticket Thanksgiving Mobilization campaign started on November 10th and is running until the end of the month, while a Holiday Season Impaired Driving program started on November 19th and is running till the New Year. Law enforcement officials will hold sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols and regular traffic patrols to crack down on those driving while distracted or intoxicated.
PennDOT says that during the 2024 holiday travel period starting the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and ending on January 2nd of 2025, there were 857 alcohol-related crashes, 18 fatalities and 542 suspected injuries. In that same time, there were 13 fatalities and 267 injuries in 307 drug-related crashes.
