Darci Marchese, wtop.com
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. – Prince George’s County has the greatest number of fatal vehicle accidents in Maryland, and police have declared that enough is enough: speeders, aggressive and distracted drivers are making the streets more dangerous.
Assistant Police Chief Kevin Davis is announcing the “Take 30 for Traffic” program, based on an existing program in Baltimore.
“Police officers are mandated that they spend 30 minutes out of each and every one of their shifts, in these traffic target zones,” Davis says.
The county chose ten designated zones based on the number of fatal vehicle and pedestrian accidents as well as stolen vehicles and robbery statistics.
The areas are: Chillum, New Carrollton, Calverton, Lanham, Kettering, Landover, Forestville, Oxon Hill, Hillcrest Heights and Clinton.
Police will patrol the streets in those areas for 30 minutes of their shift.
Davis says in the 20 years he’s been an officer for Prince George’s County it has seen the greatest number of fatal vehicle and pedestrian accidents in the state.
“We don’t want to be number one anymore,” Davis says.
But Davis says the statistics are headed in the right direction. Since the start of the year, Prince George’s County has seen 12 fatal crashes compared with 22 last year.
Davis credits the mobile speed cameras in part. He says they’ve netted more than 200,000 citations this year alone and believes that leads to safer, slower drivers.
By combining the new efforts with the effectiveness of speed cameras, Davis says the county’s streets will continue to be safer.
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