Coordinated Law Enforcement Effort Tackles Aggressive, Impaired, Distracted Driving In Washington, D.C. Metro Area

(PIKESVILLE, MD) – A coordinated law enforcement initiative to remove impaired, distracted and aggressive drivers from the roadway in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area yielded impressive results over the weekend.

Troopers and officers concentrated their enforcement efforts on behaviors most likely to injure or kill others such as impaired driving, aggressive and distracted driving and speeding. During this operation from late Friday evening into early Saturday morning, law enforcement representatives from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties issued 246 citations, 160 warnings, 36 safety equipment repair orders and eight civil citations. There was also one arrest warrant served over this period.

Troopers from the Commercial Motor Vehicle Division performed 11 inspections on commercial vehicles and placed two vehicles out of service for safety and equipment violations. The troopers and officers also removed 21 impaired drivers from the roadways.

Maryland State Police partnered with Maryland Transportation Authority Police, Montgomery County Police and the Prince George’s County Police to conduct this cooperative high visibility patrol initiative. Efforts were focused on I-495 from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Prince George’s County to the American Legion Memorial Bridge in Montgomery County and on US Route 50 from Washington D.C to the Anne Arundel County line, and major roadways leading to them. The coordinated effort involved more than 60 police and civilian employees working together in the region overnight. 

Troopers assigned to barracks from the Washington Metro Troop along with specialized units within the Department worked together with the goal of attempting to reduce traffic fatalities. Patrol troopers worked alongside troopers from the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort (SPIDRE) team, the Criminal Enforcement Division, the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, the Chemical Test for Alcohol Unit and the Special Operations Division.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 28 people in the United States die every day in drunk-driving crashes – that’s one person every 52 minutes. Data has shown that although motorists reduced their vehicular travel significantly in 2020, there has been an increase in fatalities on our roadways.

The Maryland State Police believes educating the public through community engagement and conducting fair and equitable enforcement action is the foundation to reducing fatalities. 

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CONTACT:    Office of Media Communications, msp.media@maryland.gov