Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Highway Safety Network and local police urged everyone to designate a sober driver for their holiday celebrations at an event held today in Founders Hall at the Lock Haven Clearfield Campus. As part of their Operation Safe Holiday messaging, they also encouraged everyone to buckle up through the holiday season and year-round.

"We want everyone to make good choices to keep themselves and their loved ones safe," said PennDOT District Executive Thomas Zurat. "Having a designated driver ahead of time and wearing seat belts are examples of good choices that reduce your chances of being seriously injured or worse in a crash."

As part of the event, PennDOT distributed literature on the legal and social consequences of DUI. They also gave attendees the chance to complete puzzles while wearing Drunk Busters impairment simulation goggles.

The Holiday Season Impaired Driving Campaign kicked off Wednesday, November 23, and continues through Sunday, January 1, 2023. Pennsylvania State Police and municipal police departments statewide will participate, conducting high visibility enforcement efforts such as roving DUI patrols and sobriety checkpoints in hopes of reducing the number of fatal and suspected serious injury crashes involving an impaired driver.

According to 2021 PennDOT data, there were 1,276 crashes involving an impaired driver across Pennsylvania during the holiday travel period that began the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and continued through January 2, 2022. There were 41 fatalities in those crashes.

For more information on impaired driving, visit http://www.penndot.pa.gov/safety.

For regional traffic updates, follow www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Timothy Nebgen, 814-765-0598, 814-360-3838

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