State Police Investigate 447 Crashes over July 4 Weekend

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nine people died and 206 were injured in 447 crashes investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police during the three-day Fourth of July holiday driving period, Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said today. He noted that only one of those killed was wearing a seat belt.

"It's tragic that so many people fail to buckle up when they drive," Pawlowski said. "We would see a major decline in the number of fatalities on our highways if everyone wore a seat belt every time they travel."

During the holiday driving period that covered Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5, troopers arrested 292 persons for driving under the influence, issued 5,866 speeding citations, cited 329 for failing to wear seatbelts, and issued 44 citations for not securing children in safety seats.

Pawlowski said that during last year's four-day Fourth of July holiday driving period, which covered July 3-6, 2008, 15 people were killed and 298 others were injured in 759 crashes to which troopers responded.

Crash numbers cover only those incidents investigated by state police and do not include statistics on incidents to which other law-enforcement agencies responded.

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    Jack J. Lewis
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SOURCE Pennsylvania State Police Department