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Police urge safe driving during holiday travel season

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Greene County Commissioner Blair Zimmerman, left, and Waynesburg police Chief Rob Toth plant American flags at Greene County Courthouse with the help of Jay Ofsanik, safety press officer for the state Department of Transportation. Each of the 47 flags represents a person who died on Greene County roads over the past five years.

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State police Trooper David Schweikart places an American flag to represent a person who has died on a Greene County road over the last five years at Greene County Courthouse Thursday.

WAYNESBURG – Of the last three fatal car crashes state police Trooper David Schweikart has investigated in Greene County, one involved a person driving under the influence while the other two were due to distracted driving.

“There are absolutely a lot more distractions on the road nowadays with technology,” Schweikart said.

He and several other police officers and Greene County officials placed 47 American flags in the lawn near the courthouse Thursday morning as a reminder to each life lost in a motor vehicle crash in the county over the past five years. Of those 47 American flags, eight had red ribbons attached to their bases, signifying the crash involved alcohol or drugs.

“That’s what I’m thinking about,” Schweikart said of the Americans flags waving in the wind just a few feet away. “The families who lost loved ones.”

Washington County has experienced 132 total traffic fatalities from 2012 to 2016, although that annual number decreased the past two years. During that time span across the state, there were 6,101 traffic deaths, about one-third of which were alcohol-related, according to state Department of Transportation statistics.

It’s not known exactly how many of those fatalities were from distracted driving due to cellphone usage, said Jay Ofsanik, who is PennDOT’s safety press officer for District 12.

“It’s hard to enforce and harder to quantify,” Ofsanik said.

He urged motorists to think before they get behind the wheel impaired and to put down the phones while driving.

“It can happen to anybody,” Ofsanik said. “We want to remind people of those who have died and remind them to be careful.”

Pennsylvania Turnpike officials expect about 3.5 million vehicles on its system over the six-day period from today until July 5.

“The Fourth of July brings barbecues, fireworks and family celebrations,” Turnpike Chief Executive Officer Mark Compton said. “It also brings heavy levels of traffic onto our roadway and additional risk. National crash data indicate that the Independence Day holiday is when most motor vehicle deaths occur. We could make this holiday much safer if every driver buckled up and put down their phones, everyone drove the speed limit and no driver was impaired by alcohol.”

It will also be a busy traveling season nationwide with an estimated 44.2 million people expected to travel 50 miles or more away from home, either by plane, train, automobile or boat, according to AAA,. The motor club expects that to be about 1.25 million more than traveled last year, making it the busiest Fourth of July holiday on record.

About 37.5 million people are expected to travel by car, followed by 3.44 million people flying to their destinations.

The motorists will be greeted by cheaper gasoline prices with the national average hovering around $2.24 for gallon of regular unleaded, although the average in the Pittsburgh region is $2.55. Nationwide, that’s cheaper than last year and the lowest Independence Day price since 2005, which the motor club believes could be driving the increase in motorists on the road this holiday.

“More Americans are eager to take advantage of the strong economy and celebrate with family and friends,” AAA East-Central President Jim Lehman said. “Steady gas prices are providing an extra spark for Fourth of July travel plans.”

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