Lackawanna County Highway Safety Program

The Lackawanna County Highway Safety Program today was joined by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and other safety partners at Geisinger CMC Professional Building, 315 Colfax Ave., Scranton, to announce “Operation Safe Holiday,” a media event to highlight the dangers of impaired driving through the holiday season.

“Operation Safe Holiday” reminds residents to celebrate the season safely. Impaired driving crashes are 100% preventable and drivers should keep themselves, their families, and other motorists safe by not driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, designating a sober driver or using a ride-share service.

Guest speakers, Liz Fabri, PennDOT safety press officer; Dr. David Deisher, GCMC trauma surgeon; Brian Gallagher, Lackawanna County District Attorney; Shawn Noonan, regional program administrator, Pennsylvania DUI Association; Trooper Robert Urban, PA State Police; and Eileen Miller, safe driving advocate, discussed the dangers of drinking and driving, distracted driving, seat belt safety, speeding, GCMC emergency room trauma statistics, crash data from previous holiday seasons, and increased law enforcement efforts.

“Operation Safe Holiday” reminds everyone to drive, travel and arrive safely!

📢🛣️ The Lackawanna County Highway Safety Program urges residents to review the 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘁 issued by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Department of Transportation Safety. With the rise in use of e-bikes, electric scooters and other micromobility devices across the county, understanding how these vehicles fit into Pennsylvania traffic laws is more important than ever — for both riders and motorists.

Micromobility refers to lightweight, low-speed transportation devices, such as:
🛴 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 (e-scooters)
⚡ 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 (e-bikes)
🛹 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 (hoverboards, one-wheels)
🚲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀
🔌 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹, often electric-powered personal transporters.

These devices offer convenient and eco-friendly alternatives for local travel, but they also pose unique challenges for public safety, emergency response and roadway sharing. Read more about micromobility at www.lackawannacounty.org/news_detail_T8_R767.php.