King of Prussia, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania State Police, West Chester Police Department, AAA, Pennsylvania DUI Association, Side Bar & Restaurant, and Barnaby’s Restaurant & Pub held an event today at the Chester County Historic Courthouse to promote traffic safety during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. The event aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving and emphasized the importance of driving sober.
"Remember, it's not just about you! Other people on the roads also want to get to their destination safely. Don't let alcohol or drug impairment cause you to be a risk to yourself and others on the road," said Pennsylvania DUI Association Regional Program Administrator Jim French. "Impaired driving is an act of selfishness. Before you put your keys in the ignition, remind yourself that buzzed driving is drunk driving. If you feel a buzz, you are in no shape to drive."
According to PennDOT data, in the Philadelphia region during the 2023 St. Patrick's Day holiday period beginning at 6:00 PM on Friday, March 10, running through 6:00 AM on Sunday, March 19, there were 77 crashes involving an impaired driver, resulting in two fatalities.
"Not only is drunk driving illegal with serious financial consequences, but it is also deadly for the intoxicated driver and other people on the road, including passengers, pedestrians, and sober drivers,” said PennDOT Safety Press Officer Krys Johnson. "People need to know that they can go out for a night of fun and return home safely by ensuring they have a sober driver take them home. Don't be the reason someone – including yourself – doesn't get home."
Plan for a Safe Celebration
- Always drive 100 percent sober. Even one alcoholic beverage could be one too many.
- Make a plan: Before you have even one drink, designate a sober driver to get you home safely. If you wait until you've been drinking to make this decision, you might not make the best one.
- You can get home safely: designate a sober driver or call a rideshare or taxi. Getting home safely is always worth it.
- If it's your turn to be the designated driver, take your job seriously, and don't drink.
- If you see a drunk driver on the road, call 911.
The 2022 iteration of the
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety Annual Traffic Safety Culture Index describes Americans' perceptions of, attitudes toward, and engagement in dangerous driving behaviors and identifies profiles of risky driving. When it comes to impaired driving, drivers overwhelmingly perceived driving after drinking alcohol (94 percent) as very or extremely dangerous, yet 7 percent of respondents reported having engaged in this behavior in the past 30 days. This 'do as I say, not as I do' behavior behind the wheel must change. Lives depend on it.
"Whether you're attending a house party or pub crawl, if alcohol is part of the festivities, designate a sober driver, use rideshare such as Lyft or Uber, or take public transportation to ensure you get home safely. Drunk driving is 100 percent preventable. There's no excuse," said AAA Mid-Atlantic Manager of Public and Government Affairs Jana Tidwell.
PennDOT's
media center offers social-media-sized graphics highlighting topics such as aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving, and seat belts for organizations, community groups, or others who share safety information with their stakeholders.
Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions, 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.
For a complete list of construction projects impacting state-owned highways in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, visit the
District 6 Traffic Bulletin.
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