10 Die in Thanksgiving Holiday Crashes

Statewide, 10 people were killed in crashes during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday driving period, state police Commissioner Frank Noonan said today. That’s down nearly 50 percent from last year.

According to PennDOT, Thanksgiving continues to be the leading holiday for traffic crashes.

Nooonan said 326 other people were injured in the 1,007 crashes investigated by troopers during the period that began Nov. 23 and ended Nov. 27. Noonan said five of those killed were not wearing seat belts and four died in alcohol-related crashes. Of the 1,007 crashes, 103 were alcohol-related, he said.

State troopers issued 8,647 speeding citations, arrested 484 individuals for driving under the influence, cited 994 people for not wearing seat belts and issued citations to 94 for failing to properly restrain children in child safety seats during the period.

During last year's five-day Thanksgiving holiday driving period, 17 people were killed and 343 others were injured in the 1,091 crashes to which state police responded. 

Also during that period, troopers issued 7,393 speeding citations, arrested 417 individuals for driving under the influence, cited 932 people for not wearing seat belts and issued citations to 70 for failing to properly restrain children in child safety seats.

The numbers only include state police statistics, and don't include records from municipal police departments.

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