Officials urge sober holiday driving, place flags for Westmoreland lives lost to impairment

Because the Fourth of July falls on a Monday this year, police will have an extended weekend to be extra vigilant in watching for impaired drivers and working to prevent the potentially fatal crashes they could cause.

“The July 4 holiday season is traditionally one of the most deadliest times of the year for impaired driving,” Westmoreland County Commissioner Sean Kertes said Thursday as he and fellow commissioners proclaimed July Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Month in the county. “It’s time to remember the ones we’ve lost,” he said.

The commissioners were joined by state police and traffic safety advocates and volunteers in placing 59 flags in a flower bed at the rear of the courthouse. That number reflects the fatalities resulting from impaired driving in the county from 2017 through 2021.

State and local police are increasing patrols in an effort to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities.

“We try to remind everyone who drives on the roadway that, when you drive impaired, you’re making a decision for family members of people who didn’t make that decision while they’re driving on the roadway,” said state Trooper Tristan Tappe, with the Troop A Office of Community Engagement. “You’re putting other’s lives at risk.”

Despite high prices at the gas pump, nearly 48 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from their home over the Fourth of July weekend, said Terri Rae Anthony, safety adviser for AAA East Central.

“To have a stress-free Fourth of July, remember to buckle up, obey the speed limit and drive sober,” she advised.

Alcohol isn’t the only substance involved in impaired driving. According to PennDOT crash statistics, the number of fatalities involving drivers under the influence of drugs recently has increased in the county — hitting an initial high of 16 in 2018 and a new high of 17 in 2020.

Trooper Steve Limani, public information officer with the Greensburg barracks, said state police have trained experts who can more readily detect impairment from drugs during a field sobriety test.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot more drugs out there,” he said.

County Commissioner Doug Chew urged those who plan to imbibe over the holiday to have a designated driver. “Drunk driving accidents and the deaths related to them are completely preventable,” he said.

“Be safe and be aware of other motorists on the highway,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli-Thrasher said.

Texting while driving is another preventable traffic hazard and is illegal in Pennsylvania.

“Accidents due to texting are growing too quickly,” Chew said. “Twenty-five percent of all car accidents in the U.S. involve the use of a cellphone, and that number is climbing.”