Those with lead feet, beware: Maryland State Police are cracking down on speeding and aggressive driving this weekend ahead of Columbus Day.
Authorities said in a release that the initiative will take place on Interstate 495 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.on Saturday with troopers from the College Park and Forestville barracks.
Prince George’s County police will assist troopers on the Capital Beltway.
It follows a three-year crash analysis study that determined “Columbus Day weekend has a high propensity for speed-related collisions,” police said in a release.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, speeding was a factor in 26% of all fatal crashes in 2017. More than 9,700 people were killed.
In 2017, 54 people died in the 4,526 aggressive-driving crashes in Maryland, police said.
Police said 85 percent of aggressive driving crashes happened in the D.C.-Baltimore region between 2013 and 2017.
Aggressive driving violations involve a combination of behaviors that endanger people or property. Maryland law dictates that at least three of the following are observed:
- Traffic light violations.
- Overtaking and passing another vehicle.
- Passing on the right.
- Driving on a laned roadway.
- Tailgating or following another driver too closely.
- Failing to yield when other drivers have the right-of-way.
- Exceeding the speed limit.
Aggressive driving violations mean five points on your Maryland license and a $370 fine.
