Harrisburg, PA – Members of the Pennsylvania State Police made 503 arrests for driving under the influence and issued 8,935 speeding citations during the four-day Independence Day driving period from July 2-5, 2021. Troopers also cited 600 people for not wearing seat belts and issued 203 citations to drivers for failing to secure children in safety seats.
Nine people lost their lives in crashes investigated by the state police, with alcohol cited as a factor in four of the fatal collisions. Troopers responded to a total of 680 crashes – in which 195 people were injured – over the long holiday weekend.
During the 2019 Independence Day driving period which spanned five days, nine people were killed and 287 were injured in the 975 crashes investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police.
CRASH DATA
| Year | Total Crashes | Fatal Crashes | People Killed | People Injured | Alcohol-Related Crashes | Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes |
| 2021 (4 days) | 680 | 9 | 9 | 195 | 58 | 4 |
| 2019 (5 days) | 975 | 8 | 9 | 287 | 74 | 1 |
ENFORCEMENT DATA
| Year | DUI Arrests | Speeding Citations | Child Seat Citations | Seat Belt Citations | Other Citations |
| 2021 (4 days) | 503 | 8,935 | 203 | 600 | 11,732 |
| 2019 (5 days) | 607 | 12,118 | 294 | 919 | 14,798 |
More information on the department's 2021 Independence Day enforcement actions, broken down by troop, is available here. These statistics cover only those incidents investigated by the state police and do not include incidents to which other law enforcement agencies responded.
Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and mitigation efforts that were in place throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the time, statistical information was not collected during the 2020 Independence Day holiday driving period.
For more information on the Pennsylvania State Police, visit psp.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Corporal Brent Miller, 717-783-5556, ra-pspcomm@pa.gov
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