PennDOT Reminds Drivers, Students to Be Alert, Be Safe as School Begins

HARRISBURG – As the new school year begins, PennDOT reminds motorists to help ensure the safety of children returning to classes by exercising increased vigilance during daily commutes as school buses and students appear more frequently on and along roadways.

“Back to school is an exciting time for students, and we want to ensure everyone reaches their destinations without incident,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E.  “As schools statewide resume classes, motorists need to watch for students boarding and exiting buses and obeying traffic laws regarding school buses and school zones.”

Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law requires motorists approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended to stop at least 10 feet from the bus.  Motorists approaching from all directions are required to stop.  However, motorists who encounter a school bus stopping on the opposite side of a divided highway are not required to stop; lanes of a divided highway are clearly separated by a divider such as concrete barriers or grassy medians.

Motorists convicted of violating Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law face a $250 fine, five points on the driver’s record and a 60-day license suspension.

Motorists also need to devote their full attention to school zones. Schools become hubs of pedestrian and vehicle traffic, so motorists are required to slow down to the posted speed limit of 15 miles per hour in school zones.  Failure to comply will result in a fine and three points on the driver’s record.

With more students waiting for buses along roads and increased numbers of students walking to school or their bus stops, motorists are reminded to be cautious when approaching a bus stop and to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

Students also share the responsibility of making the trip to school safe by exercising caution when boarding and riding the bus.  PennDOT offers students the following school bus safety tips:

• Get to the bus stop five minutes early to avoid having to run to catch the bus;
• Be sure to look LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT to see that all cars have stopped;
• When waiting for the school bus, stay at least five giant steps away from the curb or roadway to avoid traffic;
• Avoid the School Bus Danger Zone by staying at least 10 giant steps away from the bus on all sides so the bus driver can see you.  If you drop something and it is close to or under the bus, be sure to tell the driver before attempting to retrieve it;
• NEVER walk behind the school bus;
• Talk quietly while on the bus so the driver is not distracted; and
• Remain seated at all times and wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before exiting.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law, plus additional school bus safety tips and programs visit PennDOT’s highway safety Web site: www.DriveSafePA.org and click on the School Bus Safety link under the Traffic Safety Information Center.

PennDOT Offers Free Motorcycle Safety Courses

Riders Have Opportunity to Learn, Hone Skills

HARRISBURG – PennDOT today reminded motorcycle riders of all experience levels there is still time to take advantage of two free motorcycle safety courses offered through Pennsylvania’s Motorcycle Safety Program. Classes are conducted annually from March through October.

“Through the Motorcycle Safety Program, we are committed to helping all riders improve their operating skills and safety knowledge,” said PennDOT Secretary Allen D. Biehler, P.E.  “We offer these classes to build a sound, safe training basis for beginning motorcyclists and maintain safe operation among more experienced riders. By practicing proper riding techniques and learning how to handle their motorcycles in all types of road and weather conditions, motorcyclists can further reduce their chances of being involved in a crash.”

The Basic Rider Course (BRC) is a 15-hour course consisting of five hours of in-class instruction and 10 hours of practical riding experience, under the watchful eyes of certified rider coaches.  This comprehensive safety and skills overview provides valuable training for new riders and gives experienced riders the opportunity to polish their skills.

The six-hour Experienced Rider Course (ERC) provides skilled riders the chance to refresh their safety knowledge and hone their on-road skills. Riders taking the ERC are permitted to carry a passenger while practicing balance and steering techniques in a controlled environment under the guidance of certified rider coaches.

To enroll in the BRC or ERC, individuals must have either a Class M (motorcycle) learner’s permit or license. Class M permit holders who successfully complete the BRC or the ERC will be issued a Class M (motorcycle) license. Motorcycles and helmets are provided to those taking the BRC; students taking the ERC must provide their own motorcycles and helmets.

Visit www.pamsp.com for more information on the Motorcycle Safety Program and to enroll in a course. Additional information about motorcycle safety as well as general information on licensing and registration is available at www.dmv.state.pa.us.

Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority Marks Milestone With One Million Reports

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority has collected over one million reports from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities since June 2004. Ninety-six percent of the events are near misses or events that did not cause harm to the patient.

“The Authority is highlighting the number of reports we received because it gives us an opportunity to raise awareness for facilities to continue to learn from these events and implement change; but it also allows us to reflect on how far we have come in terms of how facilities view reporting today as opposed to five years ago,” Mike Doering, executive director of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority said.

Prior to the creation of the Authority and the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS), facilities reported events and infrastructure failures to the Department of Health under what was known as Chapter 51. Once Act 13 of 2002 was enacted creating the Authority, all serious events and near misses were reported through PA-PSRS to the Authority and Chapter 51 went away. The Department of Health continued to receive serious events and infrastructure failures through PA-PSRS for its regulatory purposes.

Doering said under Chapter 51 facilities reported a total of 7,744 events and infrastructure failures in about five and a half years. Conversely, since facilities began reporting through PA-PSRS in June 2004, serious events and infrastructure failures total 446,967. He cites the dramatic increase in reports to the ease of using PA-PSRS and an increased awareness from facilities that reporting matters.

“Through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory we have been able to show facilities how reporting events can help them learn and implement change to improve patient safety,” Doering said. “Hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities responding to our surveys made over 600 process changes in their facilities in 2008 in direct response to the report data analysis and guidance provided by the Authority.”

Doering added that to date the Authority has published over 225 educational articles in its Patient Safety Advisory since 2004. A wide range of topics have been covered with national success. One article highlighting the risks of color coded wristbands sparked a national effort to standardize the meanings and colors.

In December 2005, the Authority published an article about a near miss in one of the facilities where a patient almost died because a nurse confused the meaning of a color coded wristband she placed on the patient. The nurse placed a yellow wristband on the patient thinking it meant “Do Not Take Blood from this Arm” when it actually meant “Do Not Resuscitate.” Fortunately, the error was caught and the patient was resuscitated after suffering a heart attack.

The Authority did a survey of the number of colors and meanings facilities used for the wristbands and found there were several colors used by facilities with different meanings depending upon which hospital you were in.

“Shortly after the color coded wristband issue was published, healthcare facilities in northeastern Pennsylvania began to develop protocols for standardization. Those protocols have been adopted in 46 states throughout the country in some form,” Doering said. “All states reference the near miss reported in Pennsylvania as the catalyst for making the change to standardize the meanings and colors of color coded wristbands.”

Doering said the Authority also brought a national awareness to the issue of wrong site surgery. In June 2007, the Authority published an Advisory article highlighting data that showed an actual or near miss wrong site surgery occurred every other day in Pennsylvania healthcare facilities. Since then, the Authority has seen marked improvement in the reduction of wrong site surgeries in Pennsylvania. Details of the Authority’s wrong site surgery educational efforts and new data results are forthcoming.

This year, over 700 nursing homes began reporting healthcare associated infections through PA-PSRS. The Authority worked with its Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Panel and the Department of Health to develop the reporting requirements. Over 5,000 HAI reports have been submitted by nursing homes since reporting began in June 2009.

“With the enactment of legislation aimed to reduce healthcare associated infections, Pennsylvania has the distinction of having the most comprehensive healthcare associated infection data reporting in the nation,” Doering said. “The enthusiasm shown by nursing homes has been encouraging as the Authority has begun to educate nursing homes on what they can do to prevent infections through Advisory articles. As the data is collected, more information will become available and hopefully the enthusiasm will continue for learning from events and implementing change to prevent healthcare associated infections.”

Doering said the Authority has increased its educational efforts by developing a program in which six representatives of the Authority or Patient Safety Liaisons are placed throughout the state in six regions. Led by the Director of Educational Programs, the liaison program was developed by request from a focus group of Pennsylvania patient safety officers who asked for more of a presence from the Authority. Three liaisons are located in the northeast, south central and northwest regions of the state. The Authority plans to hire three more liaisons within the next year.

“The PSL program has been very successful so far,” Doering said. “Facilities are communicating with us to let us know what we can do to help them improve patient safety. Conversely, the PSLs are making their facilities aware of information provided in Patient Safety Advisories that will help them implement process changes that will also improve patient safety.”

“The liaisons are also increasing and focusing our educational efforts through the information they receive from facilities and have begun regional collaboratives to address specific patient safety issues,” he added.

Doering said that communication is almost always a factor when a medical error occurs. To help open the communication between healthcare providers, the Authority is developing a web based program called the Patient Safety Knowledge Exchange (PassKey).

“The program’s success will hinge upon the patient safety officers communicating with one another through this website about what works for them and what doesn’t in regard to solutions for reducing serious events and incidents in their facilities,” Doering said. “Several facilities in the state are doing great things within their own facilities to improve patient safety. PassKey will give them the forum they need to share the information through conversation and written processes that have been implemented so others can learn from their successes or even sometimes failures.”

The PassKey program is expected to be in place by the end of 2009.

For more information on the Patient Safety Authority and its programs, go to www.patientsafetyauthority.org.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority

Pedestrian Safety Awareness Campaign in Hawley Borough

DUNMORE  – In an effort to increase pedestrian safety, PennDOT District 4, Hawley Borough officials and the Hawley Police Department will conduct a Pedestrian Safety Awareness Day on Friday, August 14, from 11AM to 1PM in downtown Hawley.

Throughout the time period, Hawley Borough police officers and borough officials will personally escort pedestrians across the street. Motorists and pedestrians will be given information about safety rules that should be used when crossing roadways.

Last year, a similar program was conducted and the program was a great success, as officials passed out hundreds of safety handouts to pedestrians and drivers.

PennDOT reminds motorists that the pedestrian channeling devices placed in the center of the roadway at designated crosswalk areas are designed to slow down traffic and alert motorists of pedestrian areas. The Pennsylvania Vehicle Code states when traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.

Drivers, who are convicted of an offense for not yielding to a pedestrian, face a fine of $50 as well as points assessed to their drivers’ license. The Vehicle Code also states that no pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute a hazard.

Drivers should take every precaution when traveling in residential and urban areas where pedestrians may cross the street or walk along the roadway. Pedestrians, especially children, may dart out into traffic from unexpected places like between parked cars. Always be prepared to take evasive action, monitor your speed and show that you care by setting a good example.

Motorists can help by following these safe-driving tips:

• Yield to pedestrians using marked or unmarked crosswalks. Never overtake or pass drivers who have stopped for pedestrians.
• RIGHT TURN ON RED means STOP, LOOK in all directions for pedestrians and other vehicles, and then turn when it is safe. Look for pedestrians and allow them time to clear the crosswalk.
• Always reduce speed when approaching children. Drivers must observe school zone speed limits and stop for school buses when red signals are flashing. Motorists should be extra cautious immediately after school dismissal when many children may react unpredictably.
• Yield to pedestrians who are blind or physically handicapped.
• Be patient with older pedestrians. They may need extra time to cross the street.
• Before backing up, always check for pedestrians in your path.
• Be extra careful at night or during periods of reduced visibility. Keep your windows clear of fog and frost. More than half of all pedestrian fatalities occur at night.
• Never drink and drive.
• Be alert for pedestrians who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Always buckle up the entire family.

Pedestrian safety tips for crossing the street:

• Stop at the curb or the edge of the road if there is no curb and look left, then right, then left again for moving cars before you step into the street.
• Put your cell phone away and concentrate on safely crossing the street.
• Remember: Even if there is a pedestrian crossing device in the middle of the roadway near the crosswalk, you must still follow safe crossing rules. Always look left, look right, look left again. On a multiple lane roadway, make sure all vehicles have come to a complete stop and you have made eye contact with the operators before crossing.
• If you see a car, wait until it goes by. Then look left, look right and left again until no cars are coming.
• If a car is parked where you are crossing, look to make sure there is no driver and that the car is not running. Then go to the edge of the car and look left, look right and left again to see if cars are coming. Make sure you are seen.
  • Never dart out into the street.
  • Remember: Motorists may be permitted to make a right turn on a red light. When crossing at an intersection, always look to see if cars might be turning into your path.
  • Remember: Traffic signals, pedestrian crossing devices or painted crosswalks don’t always provide enough protection. Drivers may not be looking out for pedestrians. It is up to the walking public to be alert and defensive.

Safety tips for walking:

• When walking along a road where there are no sidewalks, always walk facing the traffic and keep as far off the road as possible.
• Walking at night is a dangerous activity because it is more difficult to see and be seen. Pedestrians who walk at night should carry a flashlight and wear clothing made with retro reflective materials.
• Leave your cell phone at home and concentrate on where you are walking.
• Stay away from traffic if you have been drinking alcohol or taking medications that cause dizziness or blurred vision.

For more information on pedestrian safety, visit PennDOT’s new highway safety Web site at www.DriveSafePA.org.

Seven Dead from Drowning in Area Waters

National Park Service Urges Safety Precautions

By Susan Koomar

BUSHKILL – The cool waters of the Poconos are tempting but also potentially deadly – and it’s ultimately up to swimmers, boaters and fisherman to take responsibility for their own safety.

This summer’s drowning tally is seven so far. Three people have died in a little over two months in Lake Wallenpaupack. Four men have drowned in or near the Delaware River.

Some of those who died decided to take a dip while boating or tubing. Don’t do it without a life jacket, say officials. Eighty percent of recreational boating fatalities happen to people who don’t wear a life jacket, according to the PA Fish and Boat Commission.

Boating safety information is available online at www.fish.state.pa.us/faqboat.htm

Fish and Boat Commission officers patrol Lake Wallenpaupack regularly include two boat patrols every Saturday and Sunday. But it’s impossible to monitor all 52 miles of shoreline of Pennsylvania’s largest lake.

A recent regional report from the commission notes that boaters – even those on private community lakes – must have a Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket on board for every person. A “throwable” flotation device such as a seat cushion is not sufficient. All life jackets must be in good condition and legibly marked with a Coast Guard approval number.

Most sections of the Delaware River look deceptively calm. The dangers are often unseen – swift currents that can quickly incapacitate unsuspecting swimmers. Another chronic problem, according to officials, is swimmers – often young men – who overestimate their ability and attempt to swim across the river. Further, people who are used to swimming in the relatively warm water of a pool are often literally shocked by the cold water of the area’s river, lakes and streams which can produce hypothermia or hypothermia-like conditions within minutes.

The National Park Service has deployed a summer intern to popular swimming spots to warn visitors of potential danger.

At least five people died in the Sullivan County, NY section of the Delaware last year. None wore a life jacket.

Here is a summary of recent fatalities:

Delaware River

Gustavo Brito, 29, of New Jersey, drowned while swimming in Damascus Township, Wayne Township on July 26.

William Lawrence, 53, of South Brunswick, N.J., fell from an inner tube near Portland, Northampton County on July 19.

Venatesh Sankar, 27, of Jersey City, N.J., was swimming in Adams Creek of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area north of Dingmans Ferry on July 3. Sankar drowned trying to help a friend in distress.

Brian Lynch, 18, of Phillipsburg, N.J., died after jumping off a bridge in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County on May 25.

Lake Wallenpaupack

John Carvajal, 48, of Union County, N.J., was last seen swimming off a boat on July 18. His body was recovered August1.

Holly Ann Steffens-Cox, 28, of Hawley, was seen wandering from a beached boat near the PPL Environmental Center. Divers found her body a day later on June 30.

George R. Barbito, 54, of Tafton, went fishing near Cove Cottage Marina off Route 507. His body was recovered on May 5.

First Public Safety Day a Hit in Milford: Police Department Plans More Community Events in the Future

Story and Photos by Ryan Balton

MILFORD – Ann Street Park was filled with uniformed safety officers, police cars, fire engines and local families on Saturday, July 18, as part of Milford Borough’s first Public Safety Day.

The Milford Police Department had a fingerprinting station set up for children, where assistant chief of police and one of the event’s planners, Jack DaSilva, could be found.

“We’re going to try to improve, do more community-oriented programs in the borough,” said DaSilva, a 10-year member of the borough police force. “Right now this is the first major one that we’ve had of this magnitude.”

DaSilva was teaching park-goers about pedestrian safety. This was an area he said he thought was important because many people walk across the road improperly.

“There’s only one proper way to cross,” he said. “You have to be in a crosswalk.”

Besides the Milford Police Department, many other local agencies were represented. Milford Fire Department Assistant Chief Tony Mann had a hand in planning the public safety day, DaSilva said, so the fire department was well represented on Saturday.

Firefighters closed off the stretch of 5th Street between West Ann and Catharine Streets to showcase its line of fire apparatus. The John Kurz Smokehouse, a miniature house equipped with smoke machines, was on hand to teach children how to get out of a house safely if it catches fire.

The National Park Service also had rangers from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area to teach about the dangers of hitchhiking and of straying from the trail.

“If they get a little bit out of what we have here, that’s what I’m looking to gain, a little education on different things,” DaSilva said. “And if it helps them not get lost in the woods, cross the street properly and not get hit by a car, make it out of a house that’s on fire, through the smoke, then our job is pretty much done.”

The Pike County K-9 Unit was also on hand Saturday morning. DaSilva said representatives from the Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Game Commission were coming in the afternoon.

Not a threatening cloud in the sky could be seen for the three-hour long event on Saturday, despite the unusually high amount of rain the tri-state area has experienced this summer.

“It just happened to work out perfectly that it’s not raining,” DaSilva chuckled. “I kept looking through the weather forecast this morning to make sure.”

And DaSilva already has plans to expand the event for next year. He said he hopes to have an emergency helicopter on site for demonstrations next year.

“We’re going to learn from this year to the next year and make it bigger as we go along,” he said.

NTSB Releases Factual Information on its Investigation of the Monorail Collision at Walt Disney World

ORLANDO – The National Transportation Safety Board has developed the following factual information from its investigation of the collision of two trains on the monorail system at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, that occurred early Sunday morning:

At about 2 AM on July 5th, a Walt Disney World monorail train, designated the Pink train, backed into another monorail train, designated the Purple train, near the Ticket
and Transportation Center (TTC) monorail station. The operator of the Purple train was fatally injured; the six passengers on that train were treated at the scene. The
operator of the Pink train, who was transported to the hospital, treated and released, was the only one aboard that train at the time of the collision.

Prior to the accident, the Pink train had been instructed to detrain all passengers at the TTC station and then to operate without passengers past the station and a switch to a point where the train could be backed through the track switch from the Epcot loop over to the Magic Kingdom loop. The operator of the Pink train moved the train past the track switch and stopped.

The Pink train was then instructed to back through the track switch, towards the Magic Kingdom loop. At about the same time, the Purple train, which was inbound to the TTC station, was instructed to stop at the station to detrain passengers. For undetermined reasons that are currently under investigaton, the switch had not changed position needed to allow the Pink train to be routed to the Magic Kingdom loop, which resulted in the Pink train backing down the same track it had just come from, putting it on a collision course with the Purple train. The Pink train passed through the TTC station and struck the Purple train while it was outside the station.

There are indications that the operator of the Purple train had brought the train to a stop and had attempted to put the train in reverse prior to the collision. To this point in the investigation, no anomalies or malfunctions have been found with the automatic train stop system or with any mechanical components of the switch or with either of the trains.

The on-scene phase of the investigation is expected to continue for several days.

The parties to the investigation are Walt Disney World, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Orange County Sherriff’s Office, and the Transportation and
Communications International Union.

Caution: Summer Driving Season Has Begun

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania State Police are urging caution and offering these tips for the summer driving season.

• Buckle Up – Wearing your seatbelt can be one of the easiest and safest things you can do while traveling. The Pennsylvania State Police will be participating in the Click It or Ticket enforcement program. You can also have your Child Safely seat checked at any of the PSP designated check points.
• Check your route before traveling – Pre-planning your trip well help you save time when traveling. Always check the roadway conditions before heading out the door, and allow for plenty of time for your trip.
• Never Drink and Drive – Every driver in Pennsylvania has a responsibility to stay out of the driver’s seat when he or she is impaired by alcohol or other drugs.
• “Steer Clear” The ‘Steer Clear’ law requires drivers to move over or slow down when they encounter an emergency scene, traffic stop or disabled vehicle.