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13 Killed in Crashed Investigated by Pennsylvania State Police Over Holiday Weekend

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State police investigated fewer crashes than last year, but the same amount of fatalities this Memorial Day weekend.

Thirteen people were killed in crashes handled by state police over the four day holiday weekend. Troopers were called out to 760 crashes this year compared to 817 the previous Memorial Day weekend.

85 of the crashes this year were alcohol-related, including five involving fatalities. Troopers cited 438 people for driving under the influence.

Nearly 13 hundred people got tickets for not wearing seat belts and another 146 were cited for not securing children in safety seats. Troopers wrote over 97 hundred speeding tickets  during the holiday weekend.

The numbers do not include crashes handled by local police departments over the holiday weekend.

AAA Projects a Slight Decline in Memorial Day Travel

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There won’t be as many Americans hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend according to AAA projections, but there will still be a lot of travelers.

Just under 35 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday weekend according to AAA, down about one percent from 2012.  Nearly 90% will travel by vehicle.  Air travel is expected to decrease. Median spending will also be down as travelers look for ways to save.  The Memorial Day travel period runs from May 23-27.

Jenny Robinson of AAA Mid Atlantic says that while gas prices may be lower in most places than they were last Memorial Day weekend, there are economic factors affecting travel. She says the labor force participation rate fell to a 30 year low in March. She says pent up demand also pushed up travel in recent years and much of that demand may have been met.

Visiting friends and family and dining out are the top activities for the holiday weekend. People also plan to go shopping, visit the beach or go touring and sightseeing over the long holiday weekend.

13 Die in Memorial Day Weekend Accidents Investigated by State Police

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Thirteen people died in crashes investigated by Pennsylvania State Police  over the four day Memorial Day weekend.   The statistics are about the same as last year; 13 deaths in just over 800 crashes. One thing that is frustrating to police is that 9 of those who died were not wearing seatbelts.

State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan says ” the tragic message from these statistics is very clear: everyone needs to buckle up for every trip on the road.”

Troopers cited more than 11 hundred people for not wearing seatbelts and issued over 100 citations for not securing children in safety seats over the four day weekend. They also issued over 92 hundred speeding citations and arrested 404 people for driving under the influence. 66 of the crashes, including three of the fatalities, were alcohol-related.

A “Click it or Ticket” seatbelt enforcement campaign continues through June 10th.  Pennsylvania has a primary seatbelt law for drivers and passengers under age 18. The law is a secondary offense for older drivers and front seat passengers.

The numbers only include crashes handled by state police and do not include accidents covered by other law enforcement agencies.