Crashes, the number of people injured in them, DUI arrests and traffic citations were all up in totals compared to last year when state police at Troop M, based in Bethlehem, conducted their Labor Day initiative from Friday, Sept. 1 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 4.

There were two more crashes this year – 47 verses 45 – than last year; the number of people injured was 15, compared to 8; police made 31 DUI arrests, two more than in 2022; and they issued 1,160 other citations, an increase of 167 over the 993 tickets issued a year ago.

In addition, Selective Traffic Enforcement Against Drunk Drivers and Drug Recognition Expert troopers specifically focused on apprehending motorists who operate their motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Police released crash data for this year as follows (2022 number in parentheses): total crashes 47 (45), fatal crashes 0 (1), number of people killed 0 (1), number of people killed while wearing seat belts 0 (1), number of people injured 15 (8), alcohol-related crashes 4 (6) and alcohol-related fatal crashes 0 (1).

Meanwhile, enforcement data showed (2022 number in parentheses): DUI arrests 31 (29), speeding citations issued 242 (333), child passenger seat citations issued 2 (10), seat belt citations issued 14 (38), occupant protection warnings (adults and children) 48 (35), other traffic citations issued 1,160 (993) and self-initiated criminal arrests made 22 (14).