504 Commercial Vehicles Removed From Roads After Air Brake Inspections By State Police

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- State police troopers and motor carrier enforcement officers last week inspected air brakes on 2,454 commercial motor vehicles and placed 504, or 20.5 percent, of the vehicles out of service during Brake Safety Week, Commissioner Frank E. Pawlowski announced today.

"Faulty air brakes greatly increase the stopping distance for large vehicles, which increases the risk to the driver of the vehicle and to others on the road," Pawlowski said.

Officers conducted roadside inspections and educated drivers, mechanics and others on the importance of proper brake inspection, maintenance and operation.

The commissioner said that 1,839 citations and 3,795 written warnings were issued during the five-day operation, Sept. 14-18.

During a similar operation in May 2009, state police inspected the air brakes of 1,560 commercial motor vehicles and placed 326, or 21 percent, out of service.

Lt. Raymond J. Cook, commander of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Section of the state police Bureau of Patrol, said Brake Safety Week was sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, an organization whose membership includes law enforcement officials, truck and bus companies, industry associations and insurance companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

More information about the organization is available at www.cvsa.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Following is a breakdown, by troop area, of the number of inspections conducted, vehicles placed out of service, and citations issued by state police personnel.

  --  Troop A (Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties), 134
      inspections, 30 vehicles placed out of service, and 50 citations;
  --  Troop B (Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties), 197
      inspections, 20 vehicles placed out of service, and 63 citations;
  --  Troop C (Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Elk, Jefferson and McKean
      counties), 329 inspections, 58 vehicles placed out of service, and 203
      citations;
  --  Troop D (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties), 211
      inspections, 18 vehicles placed out of service, and 84 citations;
  --  Troop E (Crawford, Erie, Venango and Warren counties), 28 inspections,
      five vehicles placed out of service, and five citations;
  --  Troop F (Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter,
      Snyder, Union and Tioga counties), 91 inspections, 24 vehicles placed
      out of service, and 79 citations;
  --  Troop G (Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata and
      Mifflin counties), 162 inspections, 19 vehicles placed out of service,
      and 61 citations;
  --  Troop H (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry and York
      counties), 177 inspections, 49 vehicles placed out of service, and 160
      citations;
  --  Troop J (Chester and Lancaster counties), 77 inspections, 11 vehicles
      placed out of service, and 23 citations;
  --  Troop K (Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), 225
      inspections, 40 vehicles placed out of service, and 120 citations;
  --  Troop L (Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties), 178 inspections, 39
      vehicles placed out of service, and 118 citations;
  --  Troop M (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties), 76 inspections, 17
      vehicles placed out of service, and 65 citations;
  --  Troop N (Carbon, Columbia, Monroe and part of Luzerne counties), 58
      inspections, 14 vehicles placed out of service, and 159 citations;
  --  Troop P (Bradford, Sullivan, Wyoming and part of Luzerne counties), 87
      inspections, 33 vehicles placed out of service, and 144 citations;
  --  Troop R (Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties), 149
      inspections, 54 vehicles placed out of service, and 125 citations;

  --  Troop T (covers Pennsylvania Turnpike), 280 inspections, 73 vehicles
      placed out of service, and 380 citations.

  CONTACT:
  Lt. Myra A. Taylor or Jack J. Lewis
  (717) 783-5556