Uniontown, PA - Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) partnered with the Highway Safety Network, PA Traffic Injury Prevention Project (TIPP), AAA East Central, and State Farm to promote child passenger and school bus safety at the Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department in Westmoreland County.

Free child safety seat inspections and installations were performed by certified technicians and first-time bus riders were introduced to the school bus before their first day.

According to PennDOT data, in 2023 there were 317 crashes involving children under eight years of age in the counties of Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland. There were also 35 school bus-related crashes, resulting in one fatality.

"PennDOT is committed to reducing injuries and fatalities among children involved in vehicle crashes," said PennDOT District 12 Safety Press Officer Emily Swecker."Our goal is to give families the knowledge and tools they need to keep their children safe on the road."

For more information on child passenger and school bus safety, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/district12. 

Information about infrastructure in District 12, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D12Results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.

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