We love Prince George's County, Maryland but the years here have brought home the toll of deaths on roads here. Nearby roads like Laurel-Bowie Road are known for catastrophic crashes and many injuries.
Routes 95 and 295 have their fair share of terrible accidents and Prince George's County has led the state of Maryland in traffic fatalities from 2019 to the present.
The cause of so many bad accidents is hard to arrive at although drunk driving, excessive speeding and the failure to use seat belts are the most cited reasons.
The magnitude of the problem is easily illustrated by the calendar years 2024 where traffic fatalities fell to 91 which was still 17 more than runner-up Baltimore County.
Some recent sociological theories cite a higher incidence of single parent households in Prince Georges County as an issue implicating less time for parents to be involved in imparting safe driving practices and policing in the County has decreased.
Perhaps the prevalence of major crowded highways and commuter routes is also a factor. The criminal sanctions for Maryland drivers are also said by some to be too lenient but obviously that applies to all Maryland counties and doesn't explain why a jurisdiction like Montgomery County with a larger population than Prince George's County has substantially fewer crash deaths.
The bottom line drive gently and soberly.
