PennDOT, Safety Partners Kick Off ‘Operation Safe Holiday’

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Montoursville, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Highway Safety Network, Shikellamy School District, the Shikellamy High School Law Enforcement Club, and Point Township Police held a media event to highlight the dangers of impaired driving through the holiday season.

The safety partners teamed up for a traffic crash themed holiday tree, honoring those who lost their lives in impaired driving, teen driving, and overall crashes last year in Northumberland County. Senator Lynda Schlegel Culver was among those in attendance.

From Wednesday, November 20 through the end of the year, Pennsylvania State Police, along with municipal agencies statewide, will participate in "Operation Safe Holiday", the holiday season impaired driving campaign. High visibility enforcement efforts such as roving DUI patrols and sobriety checkpoints will be conducted to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities involving an impaired driver. As the night before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest drinking days of the year, there is typically a significant increase in impaired driving crashes surrounding the holiday.

Law Enforcement Club students decorated a traffic crash themed holiday tree with each tree ornament and light representing a traffic crash statistic that occurred during 2023 in Northumberland County including:

• 661 lights representing all crashes.
• 87 gingerbread cookies representing teen driver crashes.
• 70 snowflakes representing overall impaired driving crashes.
• Six red ornaments representing impaired driving fatalities.
• Seven gold ornaments representing impaired driving suspected serious injuries.

The tree will remain on display in the field house throughout the holiday to bring awareness to dangerous driving behaviors. During the event, the representation of each decoration was explained, and signs were placed near the tree for visitors to view.

PennDOT reminds motorists that impaired driving crashes are 100 percent preventable and asks drivers to keep themselves, their families, and other motorists safe by designating a sober driver or not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

For more information, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/safety.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Tioga, Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour, and Columbia counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District3.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Kim Smith, [email protected] or 570-368-4344

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