State police cracking down during holiday weekend
If you plan to drink over the holiday weekend, you might want to think twice about getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. And even if you’re stone-cold sober, you better stick to the speed limit.
State police will be out with extra patrols this weekend, said Lt. Douglas Bartoe, patrol section supervisor for Troop B headquartered in Washington.
AAA is predicting 37.2 million drivers will take to the roads this holiday weekend, a 4.7 percent increase from 2014 and the highest volume of traffic in 10 years.
Bartoe said much of the speed enforcement will focus on Interstate 70 between the north and south junctions of Interstate 79 in South Strabane Township.
Much of that stretch of highway is under construction, with work being done to construct a diverging diamond interchange at the Murtland Avenue exit.
“We had such good results last year focusing on I-70, we were able to reduce the number of crashes by 25 percent,” Bartoe said. “We have funds available, so we will be directing our attention on that stretch.”
State police also will be mounting extra patrols to look for drunken drivers. Bartoe said there will be two sobriety checkpoints this weekend in the troop’s area, which covers Washington, Greene, Allegheny, Fayette and part of Westmoreland counties.
Troopers also will be looking for aggressive and distracted drivers as part of the enforcement effort, and drivers should make sure they and their passengers are buckled up.
State police are participating in the Click It or Ticket campaign that runs through May 31.
The enforcement effort will include patrolling the highways, enforcing occupant restraint laws and looking for child safety seat violations.
A free child restraint checkup will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Washington Auto Mall, Route 19 at Strabane Square, South Strabane. Any parents wanting to have their child safety seats checked for recalls and to learn how to properly secure the seats are encouraged to attend.
“We want to keep everyone safe this holiday weekend,” Bartoe said.