Traffic Safety Reminders
- Don’t text and drive. It can wait. It is also against the law in Pennsylvania. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that you are twenty-three (23) times more likely to be involved in a vehicle crash if you are texting while you drive.
- Share the roadway with bicyclists. Bicyclists are also expected to obey the same traffic laws that drivers must adhere to, which include stopping for red signals and stop signs.
- Slow down or move over for stopped emergency vehicles that have their emergency lights activated. Failing to do so can result in a $250.00 fine, as well as a ninety (90) day license suspension if the violation results in a person being injured.
- Slow down in school zones and stop for school buses when the flashing red signals are activated. The fine for passing a school bus with its red signals activated is $250.00, as well as five (5) demerit points and a sixty (60) day license suspension upon conviction.
- Wear your seat belt and ensure that children are properly restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat, if applicable. Studies have shown, time and again, that seat belt use saves lives.
Facts
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,322 people died in 2012 across the United States as a result of crashes that involved an intoxicated driver. This equates to one person every 51 minutes. We want to remind you to plan ahead if you plan to drink. A DUI arrest can seriously affect your life, between the costs associated with fines, special classes and increased insurance rates, and the loss of your driving privilege.
- The officers of the Traffic Division want to remind you that wearing your seat belt is not only required by law, but will drastically increase your odds of surviving a serious vehicle collision. NHTSA reports that roughly 33,000 people lose their lives each year in vehicle crashes, and that a properly worn seat belt can reduce the risk of fatal injury by at least 45%.
- In 2009 the US Department of Transportation released a study on distracted driving that showed the average time a person takes their eyes off the road while texting is five (5) seconds. If you’re traveling at 55 MPH that’s enough time to cover the entire length of a football field. NHTSA reported that 3,154 people lost their lives in vehicle crashes that involved a distracted driver in 2013.
