Questions arise about safety after two deadly crashes
Upper Darby, Pa. (WTXF) Residents have questions about the safety of one local road after two deadly crashes happened on the same day less than a mile apart.
From day-to-night it's all the same along Township Line Road in Upper Darby.
Dave O'Connell avoids the Route 1 at all costs.
"Actually, I don't even take this road because of the congestion and the speed," he told FOX 29.
The speed limit is 35 but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone going under 45.
"You have to be the Energizer bunny rabbit. The roadrunner. That's the only way you are going to get across," said one resident.
SkyFOX was over two fatal accidents within in a half mile of each in less than 24 hours. A 69-year-old man was struck and killed by another driver and a 27-year-old motorcyclist slammed into a pole. Police say in both crashes speed was a factor.
Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood would like to have officers out busting speeders along Route 1, but he can't.
Under Pennsylvania state law, municipal departments like Upper Darby are not allowed to use speed radar guns. Only state police, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh police officers are can use radar guns. When state police come and conduct speeding stings here the township has to pay the state about $7,000.
"I can't understand why we're the only state in the country that doesn't allow municipal police departments to use radar other than Philadelphia and Pittsburgh," said Chitwood.
In Pennsylvania, an average of 550 people are killed because of speed related crashes, which is way above the national average. Pennsylvania law enforcement has long said allowing all police to use radar guns may save some of those lives.