The Wolf Administration is seeking motorists’ input on highway safety, traffic safety enforcement, and driving behaviors through an annual online survey located on PennDOT’s website and Facebook page.
“Safety is our top priority and we value continued public engagement in making our roadways safer,” said PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards. “The results help us gauge public knowledge and attitudes on highway safety, and potentially allow us to adjust our safety activities so we can further reduce crashes and fatalities.”
The brief survey will be available until September 27 and focuses on highway safety issues such as seat belts, impaired driving, speeding, motorcycles, and distracted driving. People completing the survey may remain anonymous, but are asked to provide their gender, age, and county of residence.
Last year, 6,619 people responded to the survey. Among last year’s results, respondents noted that, in the previous 60 days, 79 percent of them had not driven a motor vehicle within two hours after consuming alcoholic beverages. Also, 92 percent of drivers indicated they used a seat belt all or most of the time.
Over 90 percent of respondents indicated they rarely or never talk on a hand-held cell phone, text, or check email while driving. However, the most commonly addressed topic in participant comments included the high frequency of observing these distracted driving behaviors.
As a result of this feedback and recent trends in crash data, PennDOT has increased its statewide investment of federal aggressive-driving enforcement funds from $1.7 million in 2017 to $2.2 million in 2018, or roughly a 20 percent increase. The department also has further increased its usage of social media to share highway safety information and is highlighting personal responsibility in future media campaigns.
To make your input count, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DOTHighwaySafety.