The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is asking motorists to take special care on the roads during this four-day Labor Day weekend.
PennDOT has dedicated money for increased impaired driving enforcement through Pennsylvania State Police checkpoints and roving patrols. Troopers will be looking for speeders, impaired drivers, distracted drivers and aggressive drivers.
During the 2018 Labor Day holiday enforcement period, troopers made 660 DUI arrests and investigated 80 crashes statewide in which alcohol was a factor. According to PennDOT data, in 2018, there were 33 fatalities statewide over the long holiday weekend; 13 of those were alcohol-related and seven were drug-related.
“We can each do our part to keep the roads safe this holiday weekend by making sure to drive sober, buckle up, and minimize distractions while behind the wheel,” said Colonel Robert Evanchick, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. “Troopers will be out watching for aggressive and impaired drivers, so please celebrate responsibly.”
Also, the PA Turnpike Commission projects over 3.5 million motorists will use the road this weekend, with Friday the most heavily traveled day. The turnpike plans to suspend maintenance work so all available lanes will be open in each direction.
Motorists can visit the “Historic Holiday Traffic” page at 511PA.com to plan optimal travel times that take into account events, such as this weekend’s Penn State home football game.
The rest of the traffic breakdown on the turnpike is as follows:
- Saturday, Aug. 31 with 550,000 vehicles;
- Sunday, Sept. 1 with 475,000 vehicles;
- Monday, Sept. 2 with 500,000 vehicles;
- Tuesday, Sept. 3 with 630,000 vehicles.
