PENNSYLVANIA ROUNDUP: PennDOT warns drivers ahead of Labor Day weekend

WILKES-BARRE — Last year, there were more than 8,600 crashes involving an impaired driver, resulting in 258 fatalities and 881 serious injuries.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) this week are urging Pennsylvanians to celebrate responsibly ahead of the Labor Day holiday, and announced the national crackdown on impaired driving, which runs through Monday, Sept. 7.

PSP and municipal police agencies will conduct impaired driving enforcement details as part of this enforcement and education campaign.

“When you decide to drive impaired, you’re not just risking your own life,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “If your plans include alcohol or drugs, make a plan to get home safely. Choose a designated driver, or choose to use a ride-share service, but never choose to drive impaired.”

• Last year in Pennsylvania, there were 8,658 crashes involving an impaired driver, resulting in 258 fatalities and 881 suspected serious injuries.

• Of those crashes, 7,166 involved a drinking driver, resulting in 180 fatalities; and 2,650 involved a drugged driver, resulting in 132 fatalities.

The goal of high-visibility enforcement is to reduce the number of impaired driving-related crashes, injuries, and deaths. This effort is funded through PennDOT’s statewide annual distribution of more than $6.7 million from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for impaired driving enforcement.

PSP troopers made 538 DUI arrests and investigated 60 impaired-driving related crashes, three of which were fatal, throughout last year’s Labor Day holiday weekend.

“We have seen too many lives lost at the hands of impaired drivers, and the fact is these tragedies are preventable,” said PSP Director of the Patrol Services Division Lieutenant Jeffrey M. Lambert. “PSP will have increased patrols across the Commonwealth, cracking down on impaired and reckless drivers throughout the holiday weekend. You can help us keep our roads safe by driving responsibly, slowing down, and obeying traffic laws.”

Impaired driving enforcement goes beyond checking for alcohol impairment. Law enforcement works to identify drivers impaired by illegal drugs and prescription medication or some combination of substances that impact a driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle. Pennsylvania has approximately 250 Drug Recognition Experts (DRE): specially trained officers who look for impaired drivers and assist in DUI investigations when drug-impaired driving is suspected.

Pennsylvania law requires the installation of an ignition interlock system on the vehicles of first-time and repeat DUI offenders with high blood alcohol levels, and for individuals who receive an operating privilege suspension for refusing a chemical test.

Drivers with plans to travel over Labor Day weekend can “Know Before You Go” by checking Historic Holiday Traffic at www.511PA.com. The page, which will be available beginning Aug. 31, will show traffic speeds on the Friday before and on Labor Day in 2024 and 2025 compared to traffic conditions during a typical, non-holiday week. Users can choose their region and view an hour-by-hour, color-coded representation of traffic speeds to help determine the best times to travel during the holiday.

AAA study examines growing acceptance of speeding; public support for countermeasures

While most drivers agreed that posted speed limits are appropriate, many also considered driving 10 mph over the limit acceptable, and nearly half believed keeping up with traffic is safer than obeying the posted limit.

“No one actually drives the speed limit,” a AAA study shows.

Three in ten drivers agreed with that statement in a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS), highlighting how speeding has become normalized on today’s roads.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was a factor in nearly 30% of traffic fatalities in 2024.

“Findings from this research show that some drivers in the United States view speeding as a normal part of driving,” said Dr. David Yang, President and Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “When people take cues from surrounding traffic instead of following posted speed limits, it creates a culture that makes crashes more difficult to prevent and roads less safe for everyone.”

The findings suggest many drivers aren’t speeding simply to save time, they’re often convincing themselves that speeding is the right choice for the situation.

Drivers’ top reasons for speeding:

• To get around slower drivers (31%)

• To reach their destination faster (25%)

• To avoid holding up traffic (21%)

Drivers’ top reasons to slow down:

• To avoid getting a ticket (79%)

• To avoid being involved in a crash (72%)

• Bad weather (60%)

The report also found that drivers generally prefer countermeasures that encourage safer speeds over those that physically force them to slow down. Drivers expressed strong support for increased police presence in areas with a history (87%) or potential (88%) for speed-related crashes, and roughly seven in 10 supported automated speed cameras in those locations.

Drivers also viewed advisory Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), in-vehicle warnings or alerts when a driver exceeds the speed limit, more favorably than technology that automatically limits vehicle speed.

Support declined for counter-measures that remove driver choice. Although more than nine in 10 drivers believed speed humps are effective, fewer than half supported installing them in their own neighborhoods. Support for ISA decreased as the technology became more restrictive.

Educational Gratuity Program expanding support for children of Pa.’s veterans

An additional $50,000 in funding has been secured in the 2026-27 budget to further expand the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) Educational Gratuity Program — providing more support to the children of Pennsylvania’s veterans.

This the second year the Shapiro administration has increased the initiative’s budget, supporting the increasing demand for the program. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget increased available funding from $320K to $350K, representing a nearly 10% expansion of the program. The 2026-27 budget provides an additional 15% increase.

“These grants can help to alleviate the financial burden families face when their children graduate from high school and look toward higher education,” said Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the DMVA Maj. Gen. John Pippy. “DMVA strongly encourages eligible families to apply now for assistance this upcoming semester. Your sacrifices have been immense and this is one way for Pennsylvania to show its continued honor and support of your family.”

The initiative, which stands as one of DMVA’s most impactful, provides financial assistance to children of honorably discharged wartime veterans who have service-connected total and permanent disability, or children of veterans who died in service during a period of war or armed conflict. The program has assisted nearly 1,200 students since the Fall of 2015.

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