Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and PA DUI Association discussed public safety during the holiday season and provided a brief demonstration of how law enforcement train to conduct Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST) to protect everyone on the road from impaired drivers.

"Over the years, impaired driving has continued to be a very serious crime that law enforcement faces much too often," said Craig Amos, Regional DUI Program Administrator with the PA DUI Association. "It's an extremely dangerous behavior and as long as there are impaired drivers on the road, we will continue to train and be vigilant."

The safety partners warned motorists to the dangers of operating a vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol and explained such substances weaken a person's judgement, balance, vision, reaction time and decision-making abilities, creating a dangerous situation on the roadway.

Usually, this time of year brings holiday parties, family gatherings and large community celebrations. Although people may not gather the same way this season, impairment may still be an option. If drinking becomes part of the plan for celebrating, it is important to never get behind the wheel impaired.

Law enforcement will continue to patrol throughout the holiday season, looking to take impaired drivers off the road and save lives. In order to do this in the safest way, officers participate in SFST training. The training is conducted to prepare law enforcement and other qualified personnel to safely and effectively identify individuals suspected of operating a vehicle while under the influence.

"The holiday season is historically a time when impaired driving increases," said Amos. "We want to change this trend in order to save lives and allow everyone to focus on positive behaviors."

According to 2019 PennDOT data, there were 1,361 crashes in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties during the month of December. Of these crashes, at least 127 were drug- or alcohol-related.

Motorists practicing responsible driving is key to significantly reducing impaired driving crashes and fatalities, which are 100 percent preventable. There is no excuse for driving under the influence.

For more information on impaired driving, visit www.PennDOT.gov/Safety.

For regional twitter updates, visit www.twitter.com/511PAPittsburgh.

MEDIA CONTACT: Yasmeen Manyisha, PennDOT, 412-429-5044

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