HARRISBURG — It’s one of the busiest and best weekends to enjoy a day out on the
area’s waterways, but it’s also proven to be one of the most dangerous.
And local officials want to make sure that the many recent tragedies on the waterways don’t perpetuate for another year.
Representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), officials from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and members of the Pennsylvania State Police held a press conference last week urging those who go out on the water to be smart, and safe, this weekend.
“Safety is PennDOT’s most important priority,” PennDOT secretary Leslie S. Richards said at the event at the City Island boat launch in Harrisburg. “Though Independence Day is a time for celebration, we urge Pennsylavnians to designate a sober driver and wear seat belts throughout the coming holiday, and throughout the year.”
According to PennDOT data, there were 17 alcohol-related fatalities during Indepence Day week last year, marking an increase of seven deaths from the year prior.
The Fish and Boat Commission reported that there were 51 boating-under-the-influence arrests in 2018, which was encouragingly a decrease from the year prior.
“Alcohol impairs judgement and reaction time on the water no differently than if you were driving a car, with the additional risk of drowning,” PA Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Tim Schaeffer said. “Boating under the influence puts everyone at risk, including passengers and others enjoying the water.”
Over the 2019 holiday period, the State Police and local law enforcement will be stepping up checkpoints and patrols to try and protect everyone on the water. The efforts are funded through PennDOT’s statewide annual distribution of more than $4.7 million from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for impaired driving enforcement.
“Troopers will be on the lookout for impaired, distracted, and aggressive drivers this holiday,” said State Police Commissioner Robert Evanchick. “All travelers can do their part to keep themselves and their loved ones safe by remembering to buckle up and ensure children are in the appropriate child passenger seat.”
Aside from designating a sober driver, PennDOT is taking its efforts to decrease impaired driving a step further by arranging for safe transportation. The NHTSA’s SaferRide app can be downloaded and allows users to call a ride service from a predetermined friend and identifies the user’s location so he or she can be picked up.
For more information on the initiatives from each group, visit the Pennsylvania State Police at www.psp.pa.gov or the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission at www.fishandboat.com.
