State police plan crackdown on drivers over holiday weekend
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Whether you are behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer or a minivan heading for a family picnic, state police have this warning: Buckle up, slow down, don’t tailgate and don’t drink and drive.
State police Lt. Douglas Bartoe, patrol section supervisor for Troop B in Washington, said troopers will be out in force looking for a wide range of violations. While most of the special enforcement is for the holiday weekend that begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday and runs through midnight Monday, some programs will continue for several more weeks.
“We’ve been noticing a higher amount of truck traffic on Interstate 70 between the Eighty Four and West Chestnut Street exits,” Bartoe said. “Some of these drivers are speeding and driving aggressively and recklessly.
“There are three construction zones in that stretch: at Eighty Four, the south junction with Interstate 79 and Jessop Place,” the lieutenant added. “And we have seen a rash of crashes in that area as well.”
Driving on I-70 from Bentleyville to Washington almost daily, Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone said he has been tailgated many times by aggressive truck drivers. Vittone, a former paramedic, has treated those injured in crashes caused by these kinds of drivers.
“The traffic has really been bad, particularly between 8 and 10 a.m.,” Vittone said. “The trucks seem to be flying.”
Bartoe said state police will be combining two enforcement programs – aggressive driving and truck safety enforcement.
“If a trooper with radar sees an aggreesive truck driver or one who is speeding, the driver will be asked to pull over in a safe space,” Bartoe said. “Our truck inspection team will then check the truck for any safety violations.”
“But it isn’t really about the citations,” he added. “It is about safety and having fewer crashes and less injuries.”
State police will conduct extra patrols looking for drunken drivers this weekend. Additional speed enforcement will continue through the end of June.
State police are participaing in the “Click It or Ticket” Campaign, which ends June 2. The current seat belt usage in the state is 83.5 percent. State police and the state Department of Transportation want to increase that to 84.4 percent by the end of the year.
PennDOT records indicate 503 people not wearing seat belts died in crashes last year, a decrease of six from 2011.