MCELHATTAN – PennDOT and state and local police met Monday at Bald Eagle Court in McElhattan, Clinton County to highlight work zone safety while paying special attention the dangers of distracted driving.
The event strongly urged motorists to remain cautious, avoid distractions and drive the posted speed limits through work zones. It was held near the PennDOT Mobile Workers Memorial, which honors the 85 employees who have been killed in the line of duty since 1970.
The memorial, which will be on display through April 26, was created by a PennDOT crew from Bradford County, when one of their own, flagger, Leah Miller Rumsey, was struck and killed in 1996.
To further underscore the importance of the lives of people working on the state’s transportation system, PennDOT’s #Slow4Zone initiative was launched March 20. The campaign features employees from across the state who have witnessed or been injured in work-zone crashes, or who have a message for motorists.
According to PennDOT data, there were 1,841 work zone crashes statewide in 2014 and 24 fatalities in those crashes.
In addition to driving safely to protect highway workers, state law requires drivers to increase their visibility and obey work-zone speed limits. Drivers who don’t turn on their headlights in posted work zones face a $25 fine. Also, motorists caught driving 11 mils per hour or more above the posted speed limit in active work zones automatically will lose their license for 15 days.
April is also National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Motorists are reminded that Pennsylvania law prohibits as a primary offense any driver from using an Interactive Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, read or write a text-based communication while his or her vehicle is in motion. The penalty is a summary offense with a $50 fine, plus court costs and other fees.
For more information about work zone safety or distracted driving, visit www.JustDrivePA.com.