With more winter weather on the horizon, motorists are reminded that preparing for winter storms and heeding common sense will help get them through future winter challenges.
Preparing your vehicle helps make winter travel safer and less threatening. Motorists should have a mechanic check their vehicle’s belts, hoses, battery, brakes and ensure that the heater and defroster are working properly. Check tires for proper inflation and sufficient tread depth by inserting a penny in the tread groove with Lincoln’s head upside down. If you can see the entire head, your tires will not provide adequate traction.
Pack an emergency kit that includes items such as non-perishable food, water, first-aid supplies, warm clothes, a blanket and small snow shovel. Kits may be tailored to any specific need motorists or their families may have.
Part of a motorists’ common sense approach to winter preparation includes remembering to slow down and increasing following distance on snowy or icy roads. In 2008, there were more than 7,700 crashes and 51 fatalities on snowy, slushy or ice-covered roadways where aggressive driving behaviors such as speeding or making careless lane changes led to a crash. Motorists should also allow plenty of space when driving near plow trucks. For their own safety and the safety of plow operators, motorists should never attempt to pass a truck while it is plowing or spreading winter materials.
Road conditions for interstates and some limited-access highways are available by calling 511 from home or while stopped in a safe location, or by visiting www.511pa.com. For more winter driving tips and information on how PennDOT treats winter storms, visit the Ready for Winter Web page.
Motorists Reminded to Clear Vehicles of Snow, Ice Before Traveling; Use Headlights When Wipers are in Use (updated 2/5/10)
Although winter weather brings with it a host of driving challenges, motorists should also be aware of the laws pertaining to operating a vehicle during adverse weather conditions.
Under Pennsylvania law, if snow or ice is dislodged or falls from a moving vehicle and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious bodily injury, the operator of the source vehicle is subject to a fine of $200 to $1,000 for each offense. Police may cite motorists for not clearing their vehicles’ windows; the citation carries a fine of $25, plus associated costs. Motorists are reminded to clear snow from their vehicles before driving.
Additionally, state law requires that headlights be turned on whenever windshield wipers are on. When driving in times of limited visibility, motorists should keep their lights on the low beams, especially during heavy snowfall.
Because weather and road conditions can worsen abruptly during the winter, motorists should always check the forecast before traveling. Road conditions for interstates and some limited-access highways are available by calling 511 from home or while stopped in a safe location, or by visiting www.511pa.com.
For more winter driving tips and information on how PennDOT treats winter storms, visit PennDOT’s Ready for Winter Web page.
PennDOT Introduces Online Service to Check Availability of Personalized Plates (1/15/10)
Drivers can now go online to check the availability of personalized license plates
before submitting an application to PennDOT. Individuals may apply for a personalized license plate by completing Form MV-904, Application for
Special Registration Plate. There is a one-time application fee of $20.
PennDOT’s online driver and vehicle services are always available and include driver’s license and photo ID renewals;
vehicle registration renewal; driver-history services; change of address; and exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.
Pennsylvania Receives REAL ID Extension (12/18/09)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has granted Pennsylvania an extension on implementing the federal REAL ID Act, PennDOT said today.
The extension allows Pennsylvania residents to continue using PA driver’s licenses and identification cards as ID for official federal purposes, i.e. boarding a commercial aircraft, entering a nuclear power plant or federal facility that requires identification, beyond Dec. 31, 2009.
“When we requested the extension, we told Homeland Security staff that we are not committing the commonwealth to comply with the REAL ID Act,” said Kurt J. Myers, PennDOT’s deputy secretary for safety administration. “We have been clear from the beginning that unless the federal government fully funds REAL ID, Pennsylvania does not intend to participate.”
Pennsylvania has long been and continues to be a leader among states in the security of its driver’s license products, processes, systems and facilities. Regardless of what happens with REAL ID, PennDOT remains committed to enhancing the security of its products, processes and facilities in a continuing effort to safeguard the integrity of its driver licensing and identification card systems.
The REAL ID Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 2005, was an attempt to create nationwide minimum standards for states to issue driver’s licenses and ID cards. The law requires changes to state standards, procedures and requirements for the issuance of driver’s licenses and identification cards, if they are to be accepted as identity documents by the federal government.
May 10, 2011 remains the deadline for full compliance with the REAL ID Act.
PennDOT Announces Age Requirement Change for Photo Identification Cards (12/01/09)
Photo identification (ID) cards are now available to Pennsylvania residents ages 10 and older. The previous minimum age requirement to obtain a photo ID card was 16. Act 159 of 2006 lowered the minimum age requirement for a Pennsylvania photo ID card to age 10. The law took effect Nov. 29, 2009. All other requirements for obtaining a Pennsylvania photo ID card remain the same.
To obtain a photo ID card, an individual must complete Form DL-54A, “Application for Initial Photo Identification Card.” An individual must bring the completed form, along with the required identity documents and a fee of $12 to a PennDOT Driver License Center to obtain the photo ID card. Required identity documents are listed on Form DL-54A. PennDOT reminds individuals under the age of 18 applying for a photo ID card that a parent, guardian or person in loco parentis must accompany them to a PennDOT Driver License Center.
PennDOT is pleased to announce the availability of a new series of military license plates honoring veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
The new military plates feature the standard Pennsylvania license plate colors of blue, white and yellow along with the applicable branch of service emblem or logo on the left-hand side of the plate. Pennsylvania is printed at the top of the plate, while the name of the applicable branch of service is printed at the bottom.
To obtain one of these plates, honorably discharged veterans of the armed forces must complete and mail Form MV-150 , "Application for U.S. Military Veteran Registration Plate" to PennDOT and include a certified copy of their Form DD214,“Separation Papers or Discharge Papers,” along with a fee of $20.
For more information and to view images of the new military license plates, visit the Military License Plate Page.
PennDOT Announces Record Number of Motorists Buckling Up (updated 10/23/09)
Nearly 88 percent of motorists on Pennsylvania roads are making the often life-saving decision to obey the law and buckle up. The 2009 seat belt use rate for Pennsylvania reached a record of 87.9 percent, an increase from the previous high of 86.7 percent reported in 2007.
Stronger traffic safety enforcement is one contributing factor to the rising seat belt usage rate. Approximately 450 municipal police departments and Pennsylvania State Police participate in national and statewide Click It or Ticket campaigns. More than 10,000 seat belt citations were issued by these departments last year. Law enforcement officers also helped broaden seat belt education by presenting more than 850 programs reaching 47,000 students in kindergarten through grade 12. In conjunction with the programs, police increased the number of patrols around schools to encourage young drivers and their passengers to buckle up.
Under Pennsylvania law, all front seat passengers are required to buckle up. Failure to comply with the seat belt law can result in a penalty of $60, including the fine and other costs. Children ages 4 to 8 must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat when riding anywhere in a motor vehicle. In addition, children ages 8 to 18 must be in a seat belt when riding anywhere in the vehicle. Both of these laws are secondary, which means drivers can be ticketed only when cited for another traffic violation such as speeding.
The state’s primary child passenger safety law requires children under the age of four to be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat anywhere in the vehicle. The fine for non-use of child safety and booster seats is a maximum of $100 in addition to other costs.
For more highway safety information, visit PennDOT’s highway safety Web site, www.DriveSafePA.org .
PennDOT’s New 511 System Puts Travel Info At Traveler’s Fingertips (updated 09/11/09)
Pennsylvania travelers can now take their “Travel Info to Go” through Pennsylvania’s 511 system, 511PA, recently launched by PennDOT. The service is available by calling 511 from cellular phones and landlines or through the Internet by visiting 511PA.com.
511PA provides users with free traveler information services such as travel delays, weather forecasts and regional tourism information. The system is accessible 24-hours-per-day, seven days a week. Users may also register through the Web site to receive personalized traveler alerts through e-mail and text messaging.
The Federal Communications Commission designated 511 as the nationwide three-digit telephone number for traveler information. Pennsylvania joins 35 states that already have 511 services.
Currently, the 511PA roadway network includes all 1,759 miles of interstate in Pennsylvania including the Pennsylvania Turnpike, as well as other major roadways in Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Traffic information for the majority of this network includes incident reports such as crashes, construction activities and, starting this November, winter road conditions.
To provide the most reliable information, 511PA will not update until PennDOT is able to verify an incident either through its network of more than 440 traffic cameras or through confirmed reports from state and local police. Crashes and other delays beyond PennDOT’s control, such as vehicle breakdowns, are not available on the system immediately, and travelers may encounter traffic delays before that information is posted on 511PA.
In addition to travel conditions on Pennsylvania interstates, 511PA also provides links to transit agencies and major airports as well as tourism information.
PennDOT reminds motorists not to call 511PA while driving. Callers should safely pull off of the road to call the system, or check for travel delays before leaving home.
PennDOT will continue to enhance 511PA and travelers are encouraged to provide feedback on the system by visiting 511PA.com.
