Thirteen Killed in Memorial Day Weekend Crashes in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thirteen people were killed and 311 others were injured in the 817 crashes investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police during the four-day Memorial Day holiday weekend driving period. This total does not include crashes investigated by local police.

"Nine of those killed over the weekend were not wearing seat belts," said State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan. "The tragic message from these statistics is very clear: everyone needs to buckle up for every trip on the road.

"It astonishes me that even today, 25 years after Pennsylvania's mandatory seat-belt law was enacted, some people still don't use seat belts. Please buckle up; not only is it the law, seat belts really do save lives," Noonan added. 

The official holiday driving period was May 25 through May 28. During that time, troopers cited 1,129 individuals for not wearing seat belts and issued citations to 113 for not securing children in safety seats.

"Deciding not to wear your own seat belt is a bad choice," Noonan said. "But when you fail to properly secure your children in a safety seat, you're taking a chance with their lives."

Troopers also issued 9,202 speeding citations and arrested 404 operators for driving under the influence. Of the 817 crashes investigated by State Police, 66 of those crashes, including three of the fatal crashes, were alcohol-related.

During last year's four-day Memorial Day holiday driving period, 13 people died and 294 others were injured in 808 crashes to which state troopers responded.

The statistics cover only those crashes investigated by State Police and do not include statistics on incidents to which other law-enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania responded.

For more information, visit www.psp.state.pa.us.

Media contact: Maria A. Finn or Sgt. Anthony Manetta, 717-783-5556

SOURCE Pennsylvania State Police

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