Many Pennsylvania residents enjoyed another safe and fun Fourth of July holiday this year with family and friends. While out on the roads, individuals may have noticed an increase not only in traffic, but in law enforcement as well.
According to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, about 2.8 million vehicles were expected to be on the roads over the Independence Day holiday, which was an increase of about 100,000 from last year. Given the increase in traffic, agencies around the State planned to increase their enforcement efforts.
This increased enforcement is expected to last until the end of August, and is focused on cracking down on aggressive-driving in particular. A similar campaign last year resulted in thousands of citations and arrests of drunk drivers.
While the increased law enforcement aims to help prevent traffic accidents, the reality is that many accidents will continue to happen over the rest of the summer. Aggressive drivers may cause a car accident through speeding, improper or sudden lane changes or other driving errors. In other cases, distracted drivers can cause serious injury to others on the road when their attention is diverted by text messages and smartphone usage.
Although the causes of a car accident can vary widely, the relief available for injured individuals is similar in most cases. Through a negligence action, injured individuals can hold the other driver accountable for the poor driving that caused the injury. Aggressive driving, drunk driving and distracted driving by one driver can all result in an award of compensation in favor of the injured party against that driver. Accordingly, while the circumstances of each case are different, the law provides relief to those who are injured in most of these caes.
Source: Daily Local News, “What you need to know about navigating the highways and public transit,” Andy Hachadorian, July 2, 2015