PennDOT opens survey to learn about drivers' safety habits

PennDOT is seeking input on drivers’ safety habits in an annual online survey.

The responses to the department’s Highway Safety Survey will help officials determine ways to make roads safer for motorists.

“The results from this annual survey help us gauge participants’ attitudes on highway safety and potentially allow us to adjust our safety activities so we can further reduce crashes and fatalities,” said Secretary Yassmin Gramian.

The survey is available through Aug. 23. It takes a few minutes to complete and asks about seat belt usage, driving under the influence, speeding habits and distracted driving. All answers are anonymous.

The survey is available at penndot.gov/safety.

Nearly 8,000 people took the survey last year, according to PennDOT officials. Most of those who responded said they wore a seat belt and speed at least some of the time.

There were an average of 12 crashes every hour in Pennsylvania in 2020 and about three people a day are killed on the state’s roads, according to PennDOT statistics.

Last year, there were 104,475 reportable crashes, less than the 125,267 crashes reported in 2019. The number of injuries fell while the amount of people killed in crashes rose. There were 61,248 injuries reported from crashes in 2020 compared to 76,243 the previous year.

In 2020, 1,129 people died in crashes, a slight increase from the 1,059 people killed in 2019, according to agency statistics. State residents were under guidelines from officials to stay at home for several weeks in 2020 in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.