By MIKE FAHER
Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, Cambria ranks in the top 10 for alcohol-related motorcycle crashes over the past five years, new statistics show.
And with tens of thousands of bikers rolling into Johnstown for this week’s Thunder in the Valley motorcycle rally, local police are hoping those numbers don’t swell even further.
“We know people are going to be drinking during this event
– so drink responsibly,” city police Capt. Andy Frear said Thursday.
It is unclear how much Thunder may contribute to Cambria County’s relatively high number of crashes. Frear said city police do not typically see a big spike in DUI incidents during the event.
“We haven’t had that many problems,” he said.
But PennDOT statistics rank Cambria 10th in bike wrecks that are connected with alcohol from 2004 through 2008.
And all nine of the counties with more such crashes have significantly higher populations.
In fact, the smallest of that group – Northampton County
– has more than double Cambria’s number of residents.
The numbers don’t get any better when comparing Cambria with the six counties in PennDOT’s District 9 region.
Last year there were
26 motorcycle crashes involving alcohol in the district. Cambria County had half of them, resulting in one fatality.
Somerset County had four cycle accidents connected with alcohol last year and recorded 22 such incidents from 2004 through 2008.
So with Thunder in the Valley already in high gear, and with the July Fourth holiday approaching, officials and police gathered in Johnstown to warn bikers that they’re on the watch for drunken driving.
“We’ll have extra guys out,” said Sgt. John Herdman of the Richland Township Police Department.
“We’ll be enforcing the DUI and traffic laws.”
Herdman also recommended that bikers “save your drinking until you get back to your motel or your campground.”
Cathy Tress of the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania DUI Association said bikers who drink and ride are putting themselves, other motorists and pedestrians – of which there are many in town this weekend – at high risk.
“When you’re riding a motorcycle, you need to have all your skills, your balance, your coordination,” Tress said.
Wreck rates
The 10 Pennsylvania counties with the most alcohol-related motorcycle crashes from 2004 through 2008:
County Crashes Deaths
York 121 14
Lancaster 112 10
Allegheny 103 13
Bucks 82 8
Berks 70 11
Montgomery 65 9
Westmoreland 65 10
Lehigh 55 4
Northampton 49 8
Cambria 47 6
Source: PennDOT
