From staff reports
PennDOT and the Pennsylvania State Police are highlighting safe driving tips in conjunction with Highway Safety Law Awareness Week that runs through Saturday.
“Everyone who gets behind the wheel has a responsibility to follow the rules of the road. Our goal is to remind everyone of some of these laws in hopes that it will result in positive behavior change for some motorists that will make our roadways safer,” said trooper Andrew Hacke, community services officer with state police Troop E.
PennDOT data shows there were 1,230 traffic-related fatalities in Pennsylvania during 2021, of which nearly half involved a lane departure crash.
Impaired, aggressive and distracted driving are common factors in these lane departure crashes, and the agencies highlighted some examples of laws designed to prevent these dangerous habits.
Here is a rundown provided in a PennDOT news release:
Impaired driving: Pennsylvania law prohibits individuals from driving while impaired by alcohol and/or drugs.
Penalties depend on the driver’s level of impairment and prior offenses, but can include up to $10,000 in fines, up to 10 years in prison, a maximum 18-month license suspension, one year of ignition interlock, and more.
Aggressive driving: In regard to speeding, motorists are required to drive at a reasonable and prudent speed for current conditions.
Penalties for violating maximum speed limits vary depending on the speed at which the motorist was traveling but begin at $35.
Distracted driving: Pennsylvania has a texting while driving ban as a primary offense for any driver using an interactive wireless communication device to send, read, or write a text-based communication while their vehicle is in motion.
The penalty is a summary offense with a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees. The ban doesn’t include the use of GPS devices that are physically or electronically integrated into the vehicle.
In the event of a crash, the number one defense against serious injury or death is for drivers and their passengers to be properly secured in a seat belt.
Seat belts are proven to save lives and can increase the chances of survival by up to 60 percent.
Pennsylvania’s primary seat belt law requires drivers and passengers under 18 to buckle up anywhere in the vehicle.
The state’s primary child passenger safety law requires children under the age of four to be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat anywhere in the vehicle, while children ages 4 to 8 must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat.
Children are required to be buckled up in a rear-facing car seat until they are 2 or meet the maximum weight/height requirements set by the seat’s manufacturer.
In 2021, 94 percent of fatalities (346 people) involving passenger vehicles, including cars, small trucks, vans and SUVs, could have survived if they had been properly buckled up.