BRADFORD – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Highway Safety Network, Pennsylvania DUI Association and Bradford Regional Medical Center encourages everyone to celebrate responsibly by selecting a designated driver ahead of Labor Day Weekend.
The safety partners offered motorists this and other responsible party hosting tips at a mocktail party that was held in Bradford Regional Medical Center’s main lobby.
“We value life at BRMC,” said Melissa Sullivan, chief administrative officer at Bradford Regional Medical Center. “The cost of making one wrong decision such as driving while impaired is far too great. That is why we are proud to host an impaired driving event.”
At the event, hospital employees and patients were invited to enjoy a non-alcoholic beverage recipe, operate the impaired driving simulator and complete activities while wearing impairment simulation goggles.
Participants were also encouraged to join the conversation online by sharing a safety selfie from the event using #StopDUIPA.
Craig Amos, drug recognition expert with the Pennsylvania DUI Association, explained that drug recognition experts, police officers trained to recognize drivers under the influence of drugs, will be out in force during the National Impaired Driving Crackdown Campaign that runs through Monday, Sept. 2.
PennDOT distributed Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) literature on the legal ramifications of DUI, alcohol impairment charts and non-alcoholic beverage recipes at the event.
PennDOT encourages everyone to always plan ahead by designating a sober driver or arrange for alternate transportation.
Download the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s SaferRide smartphone app, available on Google Play for Android devices and Apple’s iTunes Store for iOS devices.
SaferRide allows users to call a ride service or a predetermined friend and identifies the user’s location so he or she can be picked up.
According to PennDOT 2018 data, there were 20 people killed in impaired driving crashes between 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, and Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. Seven of those fatalities were the result of drug-related crashes and 13 were the result of alcohol-related crashes.
For more information on the dangers and consequences of impaired driving, visit www.PennDOT.gov/Safety and https://padui.org/.
For regional traffic updates, follow www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL.
