​Uniontown, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) partnered with the Pennsylvania State Police, Westmoreland County Commissioners, PA DUI Association, and Highway Safety Network to raise awareness of the dangers of driving impaired.  

Flags were placed in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse to symbolize the 85 lives lost in Westmoreland County because of impaired driving from 2019 to 2023. The county commissioners also proclaimed July 2024 as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” month.

“Motor vehicle crashes involving impaired drivers killed 439 people in Pennsylvania in 2023 and 46 of those lives lost were in the PennDOT District 12 counties of Westmoreland, Washington, Fayette and Greene,” said PennDOT Safety Press Officer Emily Swecker. “One hundred percent of those crashes were preventable.” 

PennDOT reminds motorists to not drive impaired. Many substances can impair driving, including alcohol, drugs, and prescription medication.  

The costs associated with an impaired driving arrest can vary greatly depending on several factors, including blood alcohol content, location of arrest, and number of offenses. The effect on a driver's wallet starts the moment they are stopped by police.  

Apart from the financial aspects of a DUI arrest, there may also be social ramifications. Court appearances, community service requirements or jail time can lead to lost time and lost wages -possibly job loss.  

For more information on impaired driving visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety. 

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/district12.  

Information about infrastructure in District 12, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D12Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov. 

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