State police respond to more alcohol-related crashes and fatalities over Thanksgiving holiday this year

Pennsylvania State Police say they responded to more alcohol-related crashes and more fatalities over the Thanksgiving holiday than last year, though the total number of crashes and DUI arrests remained steady.

From Nov. 22 to 26 this year, state police said they investigated 979 crashes, with four people killed and 197 people injured. Seventy-three of those crashes were alcohol-related and 542 people were arrested for DUI. Troopers also issued 10,590 tickets for speeding, 1,187 tickets for not wearing a seat belt and 133 tickets for not securing children in safety seats.

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State police Troop J, which covers Lancaster, Chester and York counties, investigated 70 of those crashes: Eight were alcohol-related and 11 people were injured. No one was killed. Troopers here issued 54 DUI arrests, 402 speeding tickets, 33 seat belt citations and six child seating citations, state police said.

Over last year’s Thanksgiving five-day period, state police handled 970 crashes; one person was killed and 196 people were injured. State police said 48 of those crashes were alcohol-related — 25 fewer than this year — with 539 DUI arrests, 9,252 speeding tickets, 1,088 seat belt citations and 138 child seating citations.

These statistics don’t include incidents investigated by other law enforcement agencies.

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