Pennsylvania State police say that there will be an increase in police presence on Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania until further notice as part of an effort to break a recent streak of serious wrecks.
I-78 in Berks County, Pennsylvania near Greenwich Township will be the focus of the increased police monitoring, with an extra concentration on the construction zones along this stretch of roadway. The extra enforcement comes as part of an effort to reduce crashes in the area.
“We’re out there doing our thing that we’re doing, but we can’t fix everything,” said public information officer Trooper David Beohm to WFMZ News.
“We have extra people out there — enforcement, visibility, our commercial vehicle inspectors are out there, concentrating mostly in the construction zone area of things,” Boehm said.
Boehm says that officers are doing all they can, but that drivers themselves are a huge factor in keeping everyone safe.
“The drivers have to take some onus on themselves also, right?” Beohm said.
“If PennDOT is putting out something and says, ‘Don’t drive on the roads this evening because it’s going to be bad out,’ well, your trip to the store or to visit somebody should probably wait,” said Beohm.
In addition to the extra officers, PennDOT also hosts a work zone speed enforcement program, which places cameras in construction zones, including along I-78 in Berks County. This program aims to reduce speeding, improve work zone safety, and even change driver behavior. The program began in March 2020 and PennDOT officials say that the amount of speeding traffic has gone down from 67% to 37%.
“We still have to, as responsible drivers, be able to, you know, look further than the front of your hood is what I like to say,” Beohm advised. “Look ahead.”
Be on the lookout for extra troopers next time you’re traveling through the area.