Drunk Driving

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Pennsylvania Anti-Texting Law Difficult to Enforce

Earlier this week we reported on AT&T’s push to stop drivers from texting when behind the wheel.  Statistics show texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident. Even though 39 states, including Pennsylvania, have an anti-texting law, still more than 100,000 crashes a year involve drivers who are texting.  Unfortunately, according to the Scranton chief of police, enforcing Pennsylvania’s law is challenging.

In March, Pennsylvania’s anti-texting law went into effect making texting-while-driving a primary offense.  PA law enforcement can stop and ticket a driver for texting and driving now, without any other violation.

However, an article in the Times-Tribune reports that according to Carl Graziano, acting police chief of the Scranton Police Department, since talking on the cellphone or searching for contacts in the phone are still legal, “It’s difficult for an officer to discern whether they’re [drivers] texting or looking up numbers on their phone.” […]

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Pennsylvania Drivers Near Bottom of the List of Safest Drivers

Allstate, the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, released the results of its 2012 “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report.” The report ranks America’s 200 largest cities according to car collision frequency in an effort to identify America’s safest drivers.

According to the report, Americans, on average, are in an accident every 10 years. Sioux Falls, South Dakota holds the honor as the city with the safest drivers for the fifth time – the report has been conducted for eight years.  Sioux Falls drivers average an accident once every 13.8 years.

Pittsburgh is ranked 168th on the list with drivers averaging an accident every 7.5 years. Philadelphia is just 10 spots from the bottom, at 190, with drivers averaging an accident every 6.1 years. This is 64.1% higher than the national average.

“Allstate’s Best Driver’s Report was created to boost the country’s discussion on safe driving. […]

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AT&T Calls on All Drivers to Take its Never Text and Drive Pledge

AT&T stresses danger of distracted driving with its anti-texting while driving campaign

As Labor Day weekend comes to a close, so too does the state’s Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.  However, the Pennsylvania State Police is on the lookout for drunk drivers 365-days-a-year.  The police are also focused on stopping distracted drivers from taking to the PA highways.  Now, AT&T is helping all law enforcement by raising the bar on its anti-texting campaign.  AT&T is warning of the serious dangers caused by texting and driving and is urging all drivers to take its “Never Text and Drive” pledge.

AT&T’s message is simple: “When it comes to texting and driving, it can wait.” On its website, AT&T presents the pledge as follows:

No text message, email, website or video is worth the risk of endangering my life or the lives of others on the road. […]

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Pennsylvania Drivers Urged to be Aware of Information Exchanged After a Car Accident

Our Pennsylvania car accident attorneys encourage all drivers to do the right thing after a car accident: stop, assist others involved, call the police, exchange information with others, and contact your doctor.  All of these are key steps to help minimize the stresses associated with being in a car crash and to help ensure that all legal processes are completed.

However, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) while it is important that anyone that has been in an accident shares appropriate information, it is critical that they not share too much information and risk putting themselves in jeopardy of identity theft.

The NAIC, the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators in the U.S., reports identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the U.S. Federal statistics estimate nearly 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. […]

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Pennsylvania Drunk Drivers Target of Police Crackdown

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is once again getting the message out to Americans to “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.” Pennsylvania State Police and law enforcement agencies across the country are joining in the latest campaign, that runs through Labor Day, in an effort to get impaired drivers off roads.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2010 State Motor Vehicle Fatalities statistics, there were 10,228 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities nationwide in 2010. Pennsylvania saw 433 alcohol-related highway deaths in 2010.  These deaths represented 24 percent of the 1,324 fatal accidents in the state that year.  Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reports preliminary data shows there were 428 alcohol-related accident fatalities and approximately 11,700 alcohol-related crashes statewide in 2011.

In a ceremony in Berks County where officials unveiled a memorial for victims of DUI accidents, Trooper Ethan Brownback said, […]