Pennsylvania State Police made 15 arrests for driving under the influence during a checkpoint in Hanover Township over the weekend, ahead of the department’s Thanksgiving holiday enforcement period.
The DUI checkpoint ran from 10 p.m. Saturday through 3 a.m. Sunday at Race Street and Cascade Drive in Lehigh County. Troopers later shifted to a roving patrol. In addition to the DUI arrests, state police issued one seatbelt citation, six speeding citations, and three driving under suspension citations. Troopers issued 26 other traffic citations and 41 warnings.
The checkpoint preceded the official Thanksgiving Holiday Enforcement period, which runs from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30. During that time, Pennsylvania State Police Troop M in Bethlehem will focus on aggressive driving, distracted driving, and impaired driving across Lehigh, Northampton, and Bucks counties.
The enforcement effort includes the Pennsylvania Aggressive Driving Enforcement Education Program, which targets speeding, seatbelt violations, and child seatbelt infractions. Troopers will also focus on distracted driving violations, including texting while driving, handheld mobile phone use, use of hearing impairment devices, text-based communications, careless driving, and reckless driving.
Specialized troopers from the Selective Traffic Enforcement Against Drunk Drivers program and Drug Recognition Experts will concentrate on apprehending drivers operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Last year, during the Thanksgiving holiday enforcement period, Troop M troopers investigated 67 crashes and made 33 DUI arrests.
State police reminded motorists that fleeing from police is a felony offense that carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, a $15,000 fine, and restitution for damages or injuries sustained during a pursuit.
Generative AI was used to structure and draft this story, based on data provided by Pennsylvania State Police. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com staff.
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