What’s Hot at the DOT

Tom Corbett, Governor

Barry J. Schoch, P.E., Secretary, Department of Transportation

What's Hot at the DOT

PennDOT Urges Motorists to Avoid Distractions, Focus on Driving (updated 4/12/13)

Highway Deaths in 2012 Third-Lowest on Record (updated 04/12/13)

Take Ninety Seconds and Potentially Save a Life (updated 04/12/13)

Governor Corbett Announces Two Programs Aimed at Saving Lives (updated 11/21/12)

PennDOT Urges Motorists to Avoid Distractions, Focus on Driving (updated 4/12/13)	Top
As part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, PennDOT today urged motorists to drive distraction free, and reminded drivers of the state's law banning text-based communication while driving. Distracted driving can include such actions as: talking on a cell phone or texting; eating; grooming; adjusting devices such as radios and GPSs; attending to children or pets, and interacting with other passengers in the vehicle. While all drivers should avoid distractions; for young, novice drivers, distracted driving can compound the inexperience factor and increase the risk of crash. Last March, a state law went into effect banning text-based communication while driving. Violating the law is a primary offense carrying a $50 fine. According to PennDOT data, more than 14,600 crashes involved a distracted driver in Pennsylvania in 2012, with 57 deaths in those crashes. Over the past five years, nearly 11 percent of Pennsylvania crashes involved a driver distraction, resulting in more than 300 fatalities statewide. To help avoid distractions while driving, PennDOT recommends that drivers follow these simple safety tips: Store or turn off cell phones while driving. If you must make an emergency call, safely pull over to the side of the road. If traveling alone, set your GPS, radio and temperature controls before hitting the road. If traveling with pets, be sure that they are properly restrained. Better yet, leave them at home. Even a minor crash can result in a major injury to a pet if it is not properly restrained. Never operate your vehicle and attend to a child at the same time. If you drop an object while driving, leave it until you reach your destination. For more information on distracted driving and the state's anti-texting law, visit www.JustDrivePA.com.
Highway Deaths in 2012 Third-Lowest on Record (updated 04/12/13)	Top
There were 1,310 people killed in crashes on Pennsylvania roads last year, the third-lowest number on record and 24 more than in 2011. Areas of highway safety, toughened by laws Governor Tom Corbett has signed, also saw reductions in fatalities and crashes. PennDOT data from police reports also shows that there were 124,062 crashes on Pennsylvania roadways in 2012, a decrease from 125,322 in 2011 and fewer than the 144,542 Pennsylvania crashes 15 years ago. Following the December 2011 implementation of increased driving safety requirements for young drivers, signed into law by Corbett, fatalities in crashes involving a 16- or 17-year-old driver decreased to 44, 22 fewer than in 2011 and significantly fewer than the 133 such fatalities 15 years ago. The law increased behind-the-wheel training requirements, placed a limit on the number of passengers a young driver can transport and made not wearing a seat belt a primary offense for young drivers. Corbett also signed into law a ban on text-based communication while driving, which went into effect in March 2012. PennDOT crash data shows that crashes involving drivers using phones decreased from 1,152 in 2011 to 1,096 in 2012. There were eight fatalities in those crashes and 57 fatalities in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2012. PennDOT has invested $50 million over the last five years for safety improvements at about 4,000 locations. These include low-cost safety measures such as centerline and edge-line rumble strips; curve-related treatments; sight-distance and intersection improvements; and removing frequently hit trees and other fixed objects. PennDOT also invests about $20 million annually in state and federal funds for safety education and enforcement efforts statewide. Fatalities in crashes involving a drinking driver decreased from 391 in 2011 to 377 in 2012, the lowest number in more than 10 years. There were 57 fatalities in crashes involving distracted drivers, a decrease from 59 in 2011. Twenty-five fewer people died in hit-guiderail crashes last year, with 137 such fatalities in 2012 and 162 in 2011. Fatalities in running-red-light crashes declined from 33 in 2011 to 21 in 2012. Though many fatal crash categories saw fewer fatalities in 2012, there were increases in some areas. Fatalities in crashes involving drivers 65 years-old or older increased from 244 in 2011 to 276 in 2012. Pedestrian fatalities increased to 168 in 2012 from 149 in 2011, and motorcyclist fatalities increased to 210 from 199 in that time period. The lowest number of traffic fatalities ever recorded in Pennsylvania occurred in 2009, when there were 1,256 fatalities. For more information on PennDOT's safety initiatives, visit www.JustDrivePA.com.
Take Ninety Seconds and Potentially Save a Life (updated 04/12/13)	Top
Driver's license and identification card holders are reminded that they can easily help another person live a fuller, longer life by registering online as an organ donor any time, not just during Donate Life Month. To add the organ donor designation to an existing driver's license or identification card today, visit www.dmv.state.pa.us and select the "Donate Life Pennsylvania" icon at the bottom of the page. Once the designation is added, individuals will receive a designation card that they will have to carry with them to affirm organ donor status until they renew or replace their driver's license or identification card. There is no charge for adding the designation to your driver's license or identification card. Nearly 46 percent of driver's license and identification card holders are registered organ donors - that's more than 4.4 million Pennsylvanians. More than 8,300 Pennsylvanians currently await organ transplants. Driver's license and identification card holders, as well as registered vehicle owners, can also support organ donation programs by donating $1 to the Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund at the time of application and/or renewal. Proceeds from the fund are used to educate and promote awareness of the organ donor program through non-profit organizations like the Center for Organ Recovery and Education and the Gift of Life Donor Program. Pennsylvanians have generously donated more than $10 million to the fund to date. More information on organ and tissue donation in Pennsylvania can be found at www.donatelife-pa.org.
Governor Corbett Announces Two Programs Aimed at Saving Lives (updated 11/21/12)	Top
Governor Tom Corbett recently announced that PennDOT is launching two voluntary programs aimed at saving the lives of Pennsylvanians in emergency situations - the Yellow Dot and Emergency Contact Information programs. Participants in the Yellow Dot program fill out the program form with their emergency contact, medical contact and medical information, insert it in the program's folder and then place it in their vehicle's glove compartment. Participants then place a yellow dot sticker on their vehicle's rear window. This sticker alerts emergency responders to check a vehicle's glove compartment for the folder, helping emergency responders provide specific care to participants after a crash. The Emergency Contact Information program offers Pennsylvania driver's license and PennDOT-issued ID holders the opportunity to log into a secure database and list two emergency contacts. Customers can update the information as needed, but only law enforcement officials can view their information in the system. In the event of an emergency, law enforcement can use the participant's ID to find their emergency contact information. While the Yellow Dot program is utilized only in vehicle crashes, the Emergency Contact Information program is usable in other emergencies as well as crashes. To learn more about the Yellow Dot program, to sign up for a program folder or to find locations where program materials can be picked up, visit www.YellowDot.pa.gov. To sign up for the Emergency Contact Information program, visit www.dmv.state.pa.us and click on the program icon.