Members of the Fort Washington, Maryland, community came together Saturday to remember those who died in crashes on Maryland Route 210 in Prince George’s County.
Residents gathered with elected leaders, state officials and advocates of highway safety to express support for stepped up enforcement against speeding drivers.
A woman was killed in a four-car crash on the road, which stretches from the D.C. border to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Charles County, on Friday evening. Two other drivers who were injured are expected to be OK.
“The tragic loss last night is another powerful reminder of the need to do something, the fierce urgency of now to try and continue to make changes to make 210 a safer road and to end the senseless deaths,” said Glenn Ivey, Democratic Representative for Maryland’s 4th District.
The gathering was held at the Harmony Hall Arts Center, in Fort Washington.
Dozens of people turned out to hear a panel discussion about the dangers of their neighborhood highway and a proposed bill in Annapolis that would raise fines against speeding drivers.
The measure, which is expected to be introduced a third time in the next General Assembly, would introduce to Maryland a tiered system of rising fines for speeding. The greater the speed, the higher the fine.
“We need to deter all of these people who are defying the law causing massive loss of life, causing a massive impact in the community,” said Maryland State Delegate Jamila Woods, District 26. “The fine is $40, if you’re going 12 miles over the limit. It’s $40 if you’re going 120 miles over the limit, so this does not deter people.”
Woods is co-sponsor of a bill that would raises speeding fines from $40 to different levels based on speed.
- From 67 to 70 MPH: $60
- From 71 to 74 MPH: $80
- From 75 to 84 MPH: $140
- From 85 to 94 MPH: $270
- 95 MPH or more: $500
“We have a road that encourages people to speed. And we have people who don’t mind speeding … changing the road is a long term battle … the state highway (administration) is doing it as they can, as they have money to do it. But changing behaviors is the low cost thing that we can do for ourselves, and we need to do it and look out for each other and save our lives,” said Ron Weiss, of the MD 210 Traffic Safety Committee.
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