State officials, police to hold special press conference
Concerned about the alarming rise in the number of fatalities in the region, especially in Fayette County, a group of law enforcement and state officials are planning to ramp up traffic-enforcement programs in the district. The State Police at Uniontown and the State Police at Washington will join officials from the state Department of Transportation and officials from several traffic safety commissions at a press conference Tuesday announcing new plans to help reduce fatal crashes.
According to police, there has been a marked increase in fatal accidents in Fayette, Greene, Washington, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties in 2007.
Police said there have been 36 fatal crashes resulting in 42 deaths in the five-count region this year, with 56 percent of victims not wearing seatbelts and 25 percent of victims ejected from their vehicles.
Additionally, 30 percent of the crashes were due to excessive speed and 28 percent were alcohol related.
Police singled out Fayette County, where 15 fatal accidents have resulted in 19 deaths this year alone. In those crashes, 80 percent of those killed were not wearing seatbelts in the crashes and 47 percent were alcohol related.
Police said weather conditions were determined not to be a factor in the fatal collisions.
In response to the rise in fatal accidents, police said they set up a speed monitor on Route 119 where they observed a high volume of speeding motorists during a two-day period, including 151 vehicles traveling at speeds exceeding 80 mph. The road is posted at 55 mph.
Police said they will begin a two-pronged attack to try and reduce fatal crashes through an educational program for younger drivers and a new aggressive enforcement program.
On hand Tuesday will be Capt. Roger N. Waters, commanding officer of the Washington barracks; Lt. John P. Rock, patrol section commander at the Washington barracks; Lt. Charles L. Depp, Uniontown station commander; Jay Ofsanik, safety officer for PennDOT; Colleen Lantz, team leader of Region 6 Highway Safety and Robert Zwier, law enforcement liaison from Buckle Up PA.