HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania State Police investigated 477 crashes during the three-day Easter holiday driving period in which 13 people died and 167 others were injured, Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski said today.
Pawlowski said seven of those killed were not wearing seat belts. Fifty-five of the 477 crashes, including four of the fatal crashes, were alcohol-related.
The official three-day Easter driving period was Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12. During that period, state police issued 3,651 speeding citations, charged 266 people with driving under the influence, cited 270 people for not wearing seat belts, and issued citations to 31 motorists for not securing children in safety seats.
During the 2008 Easter holiday driving period, which covered March 21-23, 14 people were killed and 202 others were injured in 508 crashes investigated by state troopers.
Pawlowski said the statistics cover only those crashes investigated by the state police and do not include incidents to which other law-enforcement agencies responded.