Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) are emphasizing traffic safety for this holiday weekend and throughout the summer. In collaboration with municipal police departments and safety partners, they are participating in the National “Click It or Ticket” (CIOT) Enforcement Mobilization, running through June 2.
“’Click It or Ticket’ isn’t about citations; it’s about saving lives,” stated PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. He highlighted that wearing a seat belt can improve crash survival chances by up to 60%. Pennsylvania law mandates that drivers, front-seat passengers, and anyone under 18 must wear seat belts. Children under 4 need to be in an approved child safety seat, and those under 2 must be in a rear-facing car seat.
In 2023, Pennsylvania saw 11,756 crashes where occupants were not wearing seat belts, resulting in 316 fatalities. It’s estimated that 92% of unbelted occupants killed could have survived if they had been wearing seat belts.
PSP Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris stressed the importance of child passenger safety. Troopers certified as child passenger safety technicians offer free car seat fittings and inspections across the state to ensure child seats are properly installed and free from recalls.
During the 2023 Memorial Day weekend, PSP investigated 651 crashes, resulting in four fatalities and 142 injuries. Additionally, 1,318 individuals were cited for not wearing seat belts, and 224 were ticketed for not securing children in safety seats.
Tomorrow night, state and local police will engage in high visibility enforcement, including roving patrols and traffic enforcement zones on roads with high rates of unbuckled crashes.
For optimal travel times this Memorial Day, PennDOT advises motorists to visit 511PA’s Historic Holiday Traffic page. This tool offers insights into traffic speeds during past holidays compared to typical non-holiday weeks. It helps drivers plan their travel to avoid heavy traffic. Lane restrictions will be minimized, and construction projects suspended where possible.
Motorists can check real-time conditions on over 40,000 miles of Pennsylvania roadways year-round at www.511PA.com. The free service provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to over 1,000 traffic cameras.
For more information on seat belt safety, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety. For PSP statistics, visit psp.pa.gov.
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