Pa. State Police Reports, 13 Killed, 402 Injured During Holiday Weekend Crashes

Thirteen people were killed in crashes investigated by Pennsylvania State Police troopers during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday driving period, State Police Commissioner Jeffrey Miller announced.

In addition to the 13 fatalities, 402 people were injured in the 1,196
crashes to which troopers responded during the official holiday driving
period, covering Wednesday, Nov. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 28.

Col. Miller said six of those killed were not wearing seat belts, and he
noted that four of the 11 fatal crashes were alcohol-related. He added that 80 of the 1,196 total crashes were alcohol-related.

Last year, 19 people were killed and 434 others were injured in 1,176
crashes investigated by State Police during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday driving period.

“Although the total number of crashes increased slightly this year, the
number of people killed and injured declined,” Col. Miller said. “We hope that is a result of more people using safety belts and child safety seats.”

During this year’s holiday driving period, State Police issued 3,872
speeding citations, charged 328 people with driving under the influence, cited 213 for not wearing seat belts and issued citations to 41 for not securing children in safety seats.

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

Col. Miller said State Police again participated in Operation C.A.R.E., a national program aimed at reducing the number of traffic crashes on interstate highways during holiday weekends. Operation C.A.R.E. is an acronym for Combined Accident Reduction Effort.