SHA: Driving Most Dangerous Part of Day

The time Marylanders spend driving is the most dangerous part of their day.

Maryland State Highway and Maryland Motor Vehicle administrations are partnering in Drive Safely Work Week (Oct. 1-5), the national campaign sponsored by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety.  

The theme “Back to Basics–Your Keys to Safe Driving” highlights the critical importance of buckling up, steering with a clear head and remembering parking and backing basics and other fundamentals. The goal of this week is to refocus on the basics of responsible driving.

“We can all appreciate the often frenetic pace of life and the temptation to multitask, but when we’re behind the wheel, all attention needs to be on one task alone: driving,” said State Highway Administrator Melinda B. Peters.  

According to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, traffic crashes are the number one cause of death and injury in the workplace.

An average of about 500 people die on Maryland roads every year. On average in 2011, every 18 hours a person was killed on roadways throughout the state, totaling 486 deaths for the year.

Preventing such daily tragedies from striking families is the reason the Maryland Department of Transportation and law enforcement agencies are joining together for a statewide campaign called Toward Zero Deaths.

“Drive Safely Work Week steers our attention to the fact that crashes are not inevitable, but preventable," said MVA Administrator and Governor's Highway Safety Representative JohnKuo. "By doing the right thing and making good decisions, crashes can be prevented and lives can be saved.”

From speeding to seatbelt compliance to driving while impaired, Toward Zero Deaths is focused on reducing highway mortality.

Drive Safely Work Week is observed each year in the first full week of October. It encourages workers to adapt safe driving habits in an effort to prevent injuries and save lives.

For more information, visit the following websites:

• Toward Zero Deaths
• Network of Employers for Traffic Safety
• State Highway Administration
• Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration

Information in this article taken from a State Highway Administration news release.