8 Die in Crashes Over Christmas Travel Period: State Police

Eight people, all who were not wearing seat belts, died in traffic accidents in Pennsylvania over the Christmas travel period, State Police said.

During the five-day Christmas holiday driving period, which took place from Dec. 24 through Dec. 28, State Police investigated 728 crashes.

There were 224 injuries and eight deaths. “All eight individuals who died were not wearing seat belts. Ninety-eight of the crashes were alcohol-related,” State Police said in a statement.

According to information from State Police, troopers made 327 driving under the influence arrests and issued 3,953 speeding citations during the Christmas travel period. State Police also cited 357 individuals for failure to wear seat belts and issued citations to 71 drivers for failing to restrain children properly in child safety seats.

During last year’s four-day Christmas holiday driving period, eight people were killed in crashes investigated by State Police.

The crash numbers cover only incidents investigated by State Police and do not include statistics on crashes to which other law-enforcement agencies responded.