PIKESVILLE, Md. – As the unofficial end to summer approaches, state troopers will be on extra alert in search of impaired, distracted and/or aggressive drivers this Labor Day weekend to ensure travelers get to their holiday destination safely.
Beginning Thursday through Labor Day, troopers will be on patrol, using a variety of initiatives to keep traffic moving, respond quickly to highway incidents and take appropriate enforcement action when violations are observed that threaten the safety of travelers.
Troopers from each of the 23 Maryland State Police barracks will focus enforcement efforts on impaired driving, aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving and other violations that often contribute to highway tragedies. Additional troopers will be working overtime assignments funded by highway safety grants from the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office.
In addition to working enforcement in cooperation with local police departments, troopers will be working closely with personnel from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration. SHA provides significant help arranging detours at crash sites and conducting courtesy patrols to assist motorists.
Troopers from the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort, or SPIDRE Team, will be working through the weekend. These specially trained and experienced troopers focus predominantly on locating and arresting impaired drivers. This team is funded through a grant from the MDOT MVA’s Highway Safety Office.
According to the MDOT MVA’s Highway Safety Office, 131 people died from impaired driving crashes in 2019, 183 died from distracted driving crashes and 37 from aggressive driving crashes in the state. Over the same span, an average of 2,100 people were injured by impaired drivers, 17,660 were injured as a result of distracted driving and 1,387 were injured by aggressive drivers in Maryland.