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PennDOT, police remind drivers about new rules of road

HARRISBURG, Pa. — State police and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation are reminding drivers about new and updated laws this week, which is Highway Safety Law Awareness week in Pennsylvania.

Specifically, they want to increase awareness about these four laws:

  • The "Child Passenger Safety" law update, which went into effect in August 2016, states that children are required to be buckled into a rear-facing car seat until they are age 2 or meet the maximum weight or height requirements set by the manufacturer of the seat.
  • "Daniel's Law" honors motorcyclist Daniel Gallatin, who died in 2013. It was signed in January 2017 and increases the penalty for texting while driving resulting in serious bodily injury or death.
  • The "Ignition Interlock Law" affects first-time or subsequent DUI offenders. It requires drivers to install an Ignition Interlock system in every car they operate or lease for more than a year. Each system costs $1,000. The law will go into effect in August 2017.
  • "Pedestrian Safety Laws at unsignalized intersections" state that a driver of a vehicle emerging from or entering an alley, building, private road, or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian approaching on any sidewalk extending across the alley, building entrance, road, or driveway. Failure to do so could lead to a fine and three points on the driver's license.

It is illegal to overtake or pass a vehicle yielding to a pedestrian within a crosswalk. Pedestrians are also required to use the sidewalk and marked crosswalks where provided. When there is no sidewalk, pedestrians should walk along the shoulder or the road's edge as far away from traffic as possible and in the opposite direction of traffic.