Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
REPORT: SAFETY LAWS NEED IMPROVEMENT
Pennsylvania has just seven of 16 laws advocacy group recommends
While Pennsylvania ranks in the middle of the 50 states for enacting highway safety laws, PennDOT, highway safety groups and law enforcement officers promote safety through education.
The Keystone State ranks yellow, which means “needs improvement,” when it comes to adopting highway safety laws to prevent fatalities, according to the 18th annual Roadmap of State Highways and Safety Law report.
Pennsylvania has only seven of the 16 laws recommended by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, based in Washington.
The advocacy group presses for lawmakers nationwide to adopt 16 optimal safety laws to reduce fatalities on roads.
In 2019, there were more than 36,000 people killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide and 2.7 million people injured.
In Pennsylvania, there were 1,059 fatalities on roads in 2019. With 49 fatalities, Berks County ranked third behind Philadelphia and Allegheny counties.
The primary areas of deficiency in Pennsylvania pertain to enforcing seat belt, motorcycle helmet and teenage driving laws, according to the report.
Tara DeStefano, community traffic project coordinator for the Pottsville-based Highway Safety Network, said Pennsylvania does some things well, but there is room for improvement.
But it won’t happen overnight.
“As we all know, legislation takes time, and to strengthen the laws based on the recommendations may take awhile,” DeStefano said.
The Highway Safety Network and other traffic safety partners promote the laws and best practices. Berks is in the part of the network involving PennDOT District 5.
The group hosts education programs all year.
“In the areas where we are lacking, we always promote the safety aspect,” DeStefano said. “Until these laws are passed, we must continue to educate the public and trust they will make the correct decisions to protect against traffic injuries and fatalities.”
As an example, DeStefano said even though Pennsylvania doesn’t have primary enforcement of seat belt laws, the traffic safety organizations always em
phasize why it’s important for everyone in a vehicle to buckle up for every ride.
Motorcycle helmet laws
The advocates also emphasize the risk of death and injury when motorcyclists and their passengers don’t wear helmets.
Pennsylvania does not require motorcycle riders over 21, or those who completed a motorcycle safety class, to wear a helmet.
The advocates group said motorcycle transportation is the most hazardous form of vehicle transportation, yet only 18 states and the District of Columbia,
require riders to wear helmets.
In 2019, PennDOT reported a total of 2,977 motorcycle crashes, including 175 fatalities.
Of the fatalities, 81 riders, or 46.6%, were not wearing helmets and 87, or 50%, were wearing helmets. Helmet use was unknown in the other fatalities.
Exeter Township police Sgt. David M. Bentz, Berks County coordinator for the North Central DUI Enforcement Program, said Pennsylvania had a law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets but rescinded it in 2003 after motorcyclists ran a campaign, “Let those who ride decide.”
Seat belt laws
Pennsylvania does not have primary enforcement of seat belt laws, which would allow police to stop vehicles when they see drivers or passengers not wearing seat belts.
Police can issue seat belt violation tickets only when a vehicle is already stopped for other violations.
The state also does not require children over the age of 2 to ride in a booster seat.
Pennsylvania law has different criteria for booster seats than what is recommended by the national group.
Bentz said police emphasize the importance of wearing a seat belt.
“Your life depends on it,” he said.
Impaired driving/ cellphones
The other area Pennsylvania fell short in is restricting use of cellphones for its driver licensing graduate program, which provides lower risk criteria for new drivers and requiring ignition interlock devices for all drunken driving offenders.
Pennsylvania law does not restrict cellphone use for young drivers with a graduated driver’s license. The state does not meet the 10 p.m. curfew for young drivers because it has an 11 p.m. curfew, according to
PennDOT.
Bentz said the state needs stricter cellphone laws.
“Cellphones are a distraction for all drivers,” Bentz said.
Pennsylvania’s interlock law became effective Aug. 25, 2017. The law does not meet the criteria provided by the advocates group for all drunken driving offenders to install an interlock device regardless of their blood-alcohol content.
The law only applies to first-time and repeat offenders with high-blood-alcohol levels and for individuals who receive an operating privilege suspension as a result of a chemical test refusal violation or conviction for illegally operating a motor vehicle not equipped with Ignition Interlock system.
On the books
Pennsylvania has seven of the 16 laws recommended by the advocacy group:
• Rear-facing car seats for riders under age 2.
• Minimum age of 16 for learner’s permit, six-month period for a learner’s permit.
• 50 hours of supervised driving for license.
• Six-month period in which a teen may not drive with more than one unrelated passenger under 18 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• Stiffer penalties for
driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs with a minor in the vehicle.
• Stiffer penalties for driving with an open container of alcohol.
• Prohibiting text messaging for all drivers.
Jennifer Kuntch, PennDOT’s deputy communications director, said safety is PennDOT’s highest priority.
“Raising awareness among the public about how safe driving decisions can reduce injuries and save lives helps achieve similar goals toward modifying driver and passenger behavior,” she said.
The state follows its Strategic Highway Safety Plan to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on highways.
Eight states and D.C. have a green rating, which means they have 11 to 16 of the recommended laws in place. The states are California, Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington.
Thirty states are in the yellow category, including Pennsylvania, which means they need improvement, and with some exceptions, have seven to 10 of the laws in place.
Twelve states are in the red category, which is described as falling dangerously behind and having fewer than seven laws, without front and back seat belt laws.