Receiving a Recording when Calling 911 - Do Not Hang Up, posted 01/03/2012:

Occasionally, usually during severe storms with wide-spread power outages, more 911 calls are made than can be answered. During these times, after a few rings the caller will receive a recorded message letting the caller know that they have dialed 911 and all telecommunicators are busy. The recording wil instruct the caller to stay on the line, except if they are calling to report a power outage. If this is the case, the caller will be instructed to call their electric provider.

Even during these busy times, callers should not hang up once they have dialed 911. Even with a hang up, we still receive your phone information, and have to call back and verify that you do not need assistance; this could delay help for someone else who needs it.

If you dial 911 by error, simply let the call-taker know when they answer the call. The call-taker may ask some questions to verfify that the call was dialed in error and that you truly do not need help.

If you have questions about calling 911, feel free to contact Chester County Department of Emergency Services at 610-344-5000 and ask to speak with someone in the 911 Operations Division or Public Information Officer.

Pennsylvania's Stronger Teen Driver Law - Effective 12/24/2011, posted 01/03/2012:

Pennsylvania's new law aimed at increasing safety for young drivers takes efect at 12:01 am on Dec 24. The new law increases behind-the-wheel training requirements, places a limit on the number of passengers a young driver can transport and makes not wearing a seatbelt a primary offense for young drivers.

The new law adds 15 hours of supervised, behind-the-wheel training for driver's license permit holders younger than 18, bringing the total 65 hours. Ten of the additional hours must include driving at night and five hours must occur during poor weather conditions. Current permit-holders younger than 18 who have not yet passed the driving skills test before Dec 24 will have to meet the requirements of the new law.

Also, as part of the law, drivers younger than 18 will not be permitted to transport more than one passenger who is under 18 and is not an immediate family member unless they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. After six months, the junior driver may transport up to three passengers younger than 18 who are not immediate family members without a parent or legal guardian present, but only if that driver has not been convicted of a driving violation or has not been partially or fully responsible for a reportable crash.

The law also requires that junior drivers and passengers under the age of 18 must wear a seat belt, and children under the age of eight must be fastened in a child restraint system. The seat belt provisions of the new law are primary offenses, meaning a driver can be stopped and cited solely for that violation.

More information on the changes for teen drivers can be found at http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/ by clicking on the "New Teen Driver Law 2011" button. For more information on young driver safety, visit PennDOT's highway safety website, www.DriveSafePA.org and select the "Young Driver" link under the Traffic Safety Information Center.