WASHINGTON — Prince George’s County police and Maryland State Police have been cracking down hard on drivers along Indian Head Highway.
The two police agencies began an enforcement operation in early September to reduce the number of fatal crashes stemming from reckless driving along the 21-mile stretch of Maryland Route 210.
Since the program started nearly two months ago, “we’ve issued 3,468 citations along the 210 corridor,” said Major James Keleti, acting major In Prince George’s County Police District 7. State Police have also conducted over 175 commercial vehicle inspections.
“Most of the violations are for excessive speed,” says Keleti. “That and drivers not paying attention.”
The high speeds raise concern about fatality rates along Route 210.
According to AAA, police have clocked motorists at an average speed of 78 miles per hour in the 55 mph zone. Seven people have died in six fatal crashes on Indian Head Highway in this year. Over the past decade, 60 lives were lost in 47 fatal crashes there.
These numbers have made patrolling Indian Head Highway a priority.
“We’re using officers in the overtime capacity,” says Keleti. “We’re using our on-duty resources. Of course we’re using Maryland State Police to team up with.”
Acknowledging that the highway is generally straight and conducive to speeding, Keleti says one case in particular sticks out as a result of this crackdown.
It was around 8 a.m. on October 23rd when Keleti says “an officer observed a vehicle that was traveling approximately 116 miles an hour in a 55 mile per hour zone.”
“As the officer made his traffic stop he noticed that there was two small children in the vehicle. One child was in an approved safety seat, but the (other) child only had a seat belt on. He was not in an approved safety seat. And we noticed that on the violator’s record, he had numerous speed violations in the past.”
In fact, police say that driver’s license was no longer valid.
“Right now we’re going to do it indefinitely,” said Keleti about the enforcement program. “We’re going to continue to target 210 just like we’re going to target all our highways.”
