PennDOT Seeks Public Input through Online Safety Survey

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PennDOT is seeking motorists' input on highway safety, traffic safety enforcement and driving behaviors through an online survey at www.JustDrivePA.com.

"Our top priority is safety, and it's valuable to see the public's opinions on traffic safety laws, their behaviors, and how we communicate with them," PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch said. "Using this information, we can get a glimpse of whether people are aware of our safety efforts, as well as their perception of consequences for unsafe behaviors."

The brief survey will be available until Aug. 2 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.

More than 3,300 people responded to last year's survey. Last year's notable results included that, in the previous 60 days, nearly 77 percent of respondents said they had not driven a motor vehicle within two hours after consuming alcoholic beverages. Also, 93 percent of drivers indicated they used a seat belt all or most of the time.

On survey questions related to speeding, 74 percent of respondents reported that on highways with posted speed limits of 65 mph, they never or rarely drive faster than 70 mph, an increase from 45 percent of responses in 2011.

Last year's survey also asked about texting or emailing while driving. Eighty-one percent of respondents were aware of the state's law prohibiting text-based communication while driving, which went into effect in March 2012. In addition, 95 percent of those surveyed indicated that they never or rarely text message or email while driving, an increase from 91 percent in 2011.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews.

Media contact: Erin Waters-Trasatt or Ashley Schoch, 717-783-8800  

SOURCE PennDOT