HARRISBURG - PennDOT’s efforts to educate people about the dangers of driving under the influence, remove impaired drivers from the roads, and punish motorists who break the law by driving while under the influence have earned the agency a 2009 National Roadway Safety Award.

“We’re honored to have our impaired driving program recognized as one of the national leaders,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E. “PennDOT works extremely hard to coordinate with law enforcement and other safety partners to achieve the ultimate goal of saving lives on our highways by reducing impaired driving crashes.”

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood presented PennDOT with the impaired driving program award. The National Roadway Safety Awards honor transportation agencies and other organizations that make improvements in highway safety through infrastructure improvements, operational improvements or program planning, development and evaluation.

PennDOT’s impaired driving program utilizes a data-driven approach to coordinate enforcement with Pennsylvania State and local police departments. In 2008, police made more than 56,000 impaired driving arrests, including 9,100 for driving under the influence of drugs.

Along with enforcement, the program includes educational components such as district judge outreach, technology implementation such as Ignition Interlock devices, and police training in drug recognition.

There were 12,752 alcohol-related crashes in Pennsylvania during 2008, marking a 10-year low.

For more information on impaired driving enforcement in Pennsylvania, visit www.DriveSafePA.org.