Published July 22. 2021 08:14AM
BY JIM MARSH
Special to The Press
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, along with commonwealth traffic safety partners, recently sponsored a media event along Fogel Road, Upper Macungie Township, to promote Operation Safe Driver Week, July 11-17.
The event on July 12, highlighted how law enforcement agencies are conducting an ongoing aggressive driving enforcement wave aimed at heavy truck and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in dangerous driver behaviors.
While the theme for this year is aimed at speeders, law enforcement officers will also be looking for distracted driving, failure to use seat belts, following too closely and aggressive driving behaviors.
National Highway Safety statistics for 2018 indicate speeding was a factor in 26 percent of all traffic fatalities, killing 9,378 people nationwide - an average 25 people per day.
Data shows even a 10 mph increase in speeds raises the risk of a crash more than 9 percent. Speed continues to be the No. 1 factor cited in driver-related highway fatal crashes.
Participating in the event along with Penn-DOT, were the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, the Upper Macungie Township Police Department and Pennsylvania Highway Safety Network.
As a backdrop for the event, a mobile Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association safety trailer was emblazoned with a side-of-truck mural showing the motor vehicle blind spots encountered by big-rig operators on the highway.
Press Photo by Jim Marsh Tracy Fox, community traffic project coordinator with District 5-0 of the Highway Safety Network, a partner with PennDOT, had a news conference July 12, along Fogel Road, Upper Macungie Township, to highlight heavy truck safety. Behind Fox are: Upper Macungie Police Patrol Officer William Rohrbach; John McKown, representative of national truck carrier TForce Freight, and Robert Dolan of Vorzik Transport, of McKean, both representing the Pa. Motor Truck Association; and Upper Macungie Police Lt. Cory Reader. The group is flanked by an educational trailer exhibit used to help motorist awareness of traffic blind spots of tractor trailer operators.
