Operation Safe Holiday 2011

Posted by Gerald B. McNamara on November 21, 2011

PennDOT and police are partnering again this holiday season for Operation Safe Holiday, which includes a "Click it or Ticket" enforcement push from November 18-December 4 and increased use of sobriety checkpoints between now and January 4.  This enforcement initiative also includes safety patrols to crack down on speeding and aggressive driving.

Despite what we are led to believe, drinking and driving was not the leading contributing factor to traffic fatalities in Allegheny County in 2009 (the latest year for which statistics are available).  Of the 58 traffic fatalities in Allegheny County in 2009, an occupant not wearing a seatbelt was a contributing factor in 28 cases, or nearly half.  That is an amazing number to me and just goes to show how you can take a simple step such as wearing your seatbelt to reduce your chance of injury or death when in a motor vehicle.  Drinking and driving was a contributing factor in 13 of 58 traffic fatalities in Allegheny County in 2009.

Statewide traffic fatalities in 2009 show that failing to use a seatbelt was a contributing factor in 36 percent of the fatalities.  I do not know why there is such a difference in the percentage of unrestrained fatalities between Allegheny County and the rest of the state, but in this day and age, it makes absolutely no sense why anyone would ever get into a motor vehicle and not wear a seatbelt.  

So, if you are going to be drinking during this upcoming holiday weekend or during the holiday season, please do not drink and drive.  Remember, it's always a cheaper and more pleasant overall experience to call a friend, relative or a cab than it is to take a ride in the back of a police car. Also, please remember to wear your seatbelt, make sure your passengers wear their seatbelts and make sure your child seats are properly installed.

Boating Under the Influence in Pennsylvania

Posted by Gerald B. McNamara on June 28, 2011

With the long Independence Day weekend coming up, boating season in the Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania area is in full swing.  This also means that Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officers are patrolling local waterways looking for drunken boaters (BUI) and for violations of Pennsylvania's boating regulations.

There are many events planned in Pittsburgh during the holiday weekend, including the annual regatta, a concert Saturday night at Heinz Field and the annual fireworks show Monday evening. The area around Point State Park will be jammed with boats.  Rest assured that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will be out in full force as well.  Please do not let them spoil your fun. If you are going to have your boat on the water this weekend and you plan on drinking, please do not operate your boat.

If you are arrested for BUI, you face mandatory jail time, fines and suspension of your boating license. There is also a push on in Harrisburg to make a BUI the equivalent of a DUI; meaning that if you are arrested for BUI you will face a mandatory suspension of your driver's license, as well as mandatory jail time, fines, etc.

One final thing to consider if you are thinking of drinking and boating this weekend in Pittsburgh, or any other time, is that when the the Fish and Boat officers arrest you for BUI, they usually take you as you are...meaning that if you are a male and you are shirtless, shoeless and wearing nothing but shorts and a life jacket, this is how you will be taken for the chemical testing. I saw this many times when I worked at the Traffic Division and Fish and Boat officers brought in their arrests for the breath test.  Just an extra ounce of humiliation for you, as if getting a BUI is not enough.  Not to mention the fact that you really do not want to go to the Allegheny County Jail wearing just your shorts and your life jacket.