In early March, Lehigh Valley DUI/Highway Safety Task Force and its community partners hosted a law enforcement seminar for local and state law enforcement located in and around the Lehigh Valley.
The event held at Lehigh Valley Health Network's main campus on Cedar Crest Boulevard in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, covered a wide variety of law enforcement topics, such as medical marijuana, case law updates, electric vehicles, pedestrian enforcement efforts, collision reconstruction, and mobile video recorders.
Impaired driving is a factor in nearly 40 percent of all traffic fatalities, making law enforcement training on impaired driving enforcement extremely important. Impaired driving enforcement goes beyond checking for alcohol impairment. Law enforcement also works to identify motorists impaired by illegal drugs, prescription medication, or some combination of these. Drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs can experience slower coordination, judgement, and reaction time, which increases the chance of being involved in a crash. In 2022, there were 1,179 fatal crashes in Pennsylvania. Of those, 452 crashes involved impaired drivers.
The Lehigh Valley DUI/Highway Safety Task Force has been in existence for 23 years and is comprised of PennDOT representatives, members of law enforcement, and business and health care communities. It raises public awareness about the dangers of impaired and aggressive driving, as well as the importance of seat belt usage.
Enforcement is part of Pennsylvania's Highway Safety Program and is funded by part of PennDOT's investment of federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
More information on Impaired Driving is available on PennDOT's website. Current crash data can also be found on the Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool.