PA State Police Report More Than 800 Crashes Over Memorial Day Weekend

HARRISBURG, Pa (CBS) – Memorial weekend marked the start of the worst season for traffic fatalities, and this past holiday weekend proved to be worse than the last.

Authorities have released information detailing the number of crashes that took place from May 27 to May 30th. The report stated that PA police were called to a total of 839 crashes, with 282 injuries and 6 fatalities.

According to the report, 79 of the crashes were alcohol related and responsible for three of the fatalities. Over the weekend troopers made 475 arrests for driving under the influence.

Last year following a four-day Memorial Holiday, state officials say two people died and 247 others were injured in a total of 718 crashes.

Meaning that authorities responded to 121 more crashes in 2016 than 2015.

In addition, troopers issued 13,935 speeding citations, cited 1,222 individuals for not wearing seat belts, and issued citations to 289 motorists for not securing children in safety seats.

A report by the National Safety Council estimated that 439 Americans would be killed this past weekend, the highest number since 2009. Experts believe the main reason Memorial Day weekend is so deadly is because there is more people on the road. And more drivers mean more traffic fatalities.

The statistics cover only those crashes investigated by state police and do not include statistics on incidents to which other law-enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania responded.

For more information on the Pennsylvania State Police, visit their website.