PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from Jan. 28.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is conducting an annual survey to improve highway safety.
The Department asks Pennsylvanians to take the short, approximately five-minute quiz before it closes on Feb. 28. All responses are completely anonymous.
The survey covers several topics including seat belt use, impaired driving, speeding, distracted driving, as well as bicycle, pedestrian and motorcycle safety.
“In 2021, 1,230 people died on Pennsylvania roadways. Many of these deaths could have been prevented simply by buckling up, slowing down, paying attention, and driving sober,” said PennDOT Acting Secretary Mike Carroll. “The results from this survey help us better understand the public’s attitude on highway safety, and potentially allow us to adjust our efforts to reduce crashes and fatalities.”
The survey seeks information on motorists’ behavior behind the wheel to help PennDOT plan educational programming on crashes, fatalities and injuries on commonwealth roadways.
While first distributed in 2010 as a requirement for federal funding, the safety survey is no longer mandatory for highway officials. However, the questionnaire can help PennDOT better understand participants’ attitudes on highway safety and provides insights into needed adjustments to safety activities that would reduce crashes and fatalities.
PennDOT focuses on data trends to drive enforcement and education improvements and invests more than $25 million annually in federal grant funds statewide to support behavioral safety programs. The survey informs these programs and allows PennDOT officials to dive deeper into needed safety improvements.
The survey, along with crash statistics, traffic safety tips and frequently asked questions, can be found here.