Last year, 442
people died in accidents on Maryland roadways. That number is a huge improvement from the
record number of 872 deaths reported in 1968.
The number of deaths in 2014 is lower by 24 deaths compared to 2013.
The
significant increase in driver distractions (i.e. talking on cell phones and
texting), while still causing accidents, are not at the extreme levels seen in
previous years. Maryland Transportation
Authority officials also announced that traffic fatalities linked to drunk driving
decreased by 19 between 2013 and 2014 to a total of 133 deaths. However, one statistic is still startling:
someone is killed every 66 hours in Maryland because of impaired driving.
The
state of Maryland still continues to work toward achieving its goal of zero
traffic deaths, and although 442 deaths is still a long way from zero,
tremendous progress continues to be made.
Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn is pleased with the improvement
being made, “especially when you consider the millions more cars we have on the
road today.” Rahn credits emergency responders
and stricter laws against drunk driving and aggressive driving for the decline
in deaths. Transportation officials will
continue to focus on the “four E’s” of highway safety: engineering,
enforcement, education, and emergency response.
One area of improvement
is seat belt usage. While laws have been
in place requiring seat belts to be worn in cars for several years, 8 percent
of Maryland drivers do not abide by the law.
In 2014, 37.5 percent of the deaths involved drivers or passengers not
wearing seatbelts.
Some other interesting
statistics from the 2014 data show that a majority of the traffic deaths
occurred in Prince George’s County and Baltimore County, while the fewest
occurred in Howard and Carroll Counties.
Also included in the total fatalities number is 100 pedestrian deaths
and 66 motorcycle accident deaths (the only major statistic to increase from
2013).
