{"id":30463,"date":"2016-06-30T15:19:34","date_gmt":"2016-06-30T19:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=30463"},"modified":"2016-06-30T15:20:10","modified_gmt":"2016-06-30T19:20:10","slug":"have-a-great-fourth-of-july-weekend-but-be-smart-and-be-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=30463","title":{"rendered":"Have a great Fourth of July weekend, but be smart and be safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"USFlag\"<\/a>With mostly good weather forecast (the lone concern is a chance of serious thunderstorms Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service) most area residents who haven\u2019t opted to head out of town are likely ready for fun with friends and family over the long holiday weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n

But \u2014 as state and local officials advise \u2014 a little bit of caution and common sense can keep the holiday festivities from turning tragic.<\/span><\/p>\n

First off, although the warm weather is perfect to open up and enjoy a cold adult beverage, don\u2019t combine that with driving. Ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThough Independence Day is a time for celebration, we urge Pennsylvanians to plan ahead and designate a sober driver throughout the holiday weekend,\u201d PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said. \u201cDrivers should also avoid aggressive driving behavior and always wear your seat belt so that we all get to our destinations safety and spend time with family and friends.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The danger is very real \u2014 according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) data, last year there were 330 alcohol-related crashes resulting in 11 fatalities from Friday, June 26, to Sunday, July 5 \u2014 a sharp increase over 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you haven\u2019t been using any impairing substances, driving over the holiday weekend can still be hazardous and requires extra care.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge motorists to buckle up and use caution when traveling over the holiday,\u201d said State Police Commissioner Tyree C. Blocker. \u201cTroopers will be on the lookout for traffic violations and impaired drivers, so please obey the speed limit and don\u2019t get behind the wheel impaired. To ensure motorists get to their destinations safely, remember to keep distractions to a minimum while driving.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of this high-visibility impaired-driving enforcement effort, the State Police and local law enforcement will conduct checkpoints and roving patrols. This effort is funded through PennDOT’s statewide distribution of more than $4.7 million in federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re staying home, there\u2019s still hazards uniquely related to the holiday that can turn tragic fast, officials say.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year, what should be a time to honor America with family and friends turns tragic somewhere,\u201d said State Fire Commissioner Tim Solobay. \u201cFollowing common-sense safety guidelines can prevent these tragedies and help you create lasting happy memories.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

State law allows consumers to use only small \u201cnovelty\u201d fireworks, such as sparklers and trick noise makers. These fireworks can be sold by retail establishments with valid permits. If you can\u2019t buy it in state, it\u2019s not legal to use in Pennsylvania.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even the legal fireworks can be dangerous if used carelessly or by unsupervised minors. Make sure you have water on hand, safety goggles and obviously, only use them outside away from trees, structures and vehicles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grilling, another holiday pastime, should be done with common sense \u2014 again, outdoors in well ventilated areas. <\/span><\/p>\n

The message is simple: be smart and be safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

From all of us at The Times<\/em>, have a great Fourth of July weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With mostly good weather forecast (the lone concern is a chance of serious thunderstorms Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service) most area residents who haven\u2019t opted to head out of town are likely ready for fun with friends and family over the long holiday weekend. But \u2014 as state and local officials advise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[6570,7426,5770,1493,429],"class_list":["post-30463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-driving","tag-featured","tag-fireworks","tag-fourth-of-july","tag-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30463"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30467,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30463\/revisions\/30467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}