HANOVER, MD – Yesterday, The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) recognized police officers from more than 30 law enforcement agencies across the state for their exemplary work in enforcing aggressive driving laws on Maryland roadways. In 2015, the last year of complete traffic data, there were 27 aggressive-driver related fatalities in Maryland.
“Our goal is zero deaths on our roads, and we thank the men and women of law enforcement for their selfless commitment and dedication to saving lives every day,” said Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn.
The MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office created the Aggressive Drivers Are Public Threats (ADAPT) campaign to help reduce aggressive driving statewide. Between 2011 and 2015, more than 3,200 persons either were killed or injured in a crash involving an aggressive driver in Maryland. ADAPT combines education and enforcement to encourage motorists to ADAPT their driving and avoid aggressive behaviors such as excessive speed, weaving, tailgating, and passing on the shoulder.
“Excessive speed is the largest contributor to aggressive driving violations,” said MDOT MVA Administrator and Governor Hogan’s Highway Safety Representative Christine Nizer, who helped present the awards at the Bayfront Club in Sparrows Point. “As speed increases, so does the risk for serious injury or death in a crash. We encourage drivers to slow down and make sure seatbelts are worn every time, by every person in the vehicle.”
During four 10-day periods this year, the ADAPT educational campaign supported the efforts of police in targeting aggressive driving behavior. Officers’ combined enforcement efforts culminated in more than 124,000 citations issued to drivers exhibiting aggressive and other illegal driving behaviors.
“As police, our priority is to save lives,” said Col. Jerry Jones, Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police Chief and Chairman of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Committee. “Enforcing aggressive driving laws sends a clear message: aggressive driving isn’t just unacceptable, it’s deadly.”
Editor’s Note: For more information on Maryland’s Toward Zero Deaths campaign, please visit towardzerodeathsmd.com or find us on Facebook at @towardzerodeathsmd, on Twitter at @tzd_maryland, and on Instagram at twdzerodeaths_md. For the latest MDOT News, follow us on twitter @MDOTNews and #mdotnews.
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