Road Rage Warning As Maryland Highways Fill For Holidays 2017

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Mix a record number of Maryland families on the highways for the next two weekends with the already congested transportation grid and you have the perfect recipe for road rage, says AAA Mid-Atlantic. Some 107 million Americans will travel as the year comes to a close, marking the highest year-end travel volume on record.

AAA Mid-Atlantic estimates nearly 2.3 million Marylanders will travel between Saturday, Dec. 23, and Monday, Jan. 1, reflecting a 3.2 percent increase over 2016, and the highest volume on record for this holiday season since 2001.

It is an exodus of Biblical proportions when you include 2.4 million Washington metro area residents all headed away from home for the holy days and holidays, says AAA Mid-Atlantic. But all that traffic and congestion on the highways could bring out the worst in people, including increased stress, aggression and harassment behind the wheel. All that brake-checking, cursing, loud honking, and cutting others off at the exit ramp during the busiest time on the roads.

Drivers must remain mindful of road rage during busy holiday travel periods, experts warn.

“Minor frustrations have the potential to turn deadly if drivers act out their anger on the road,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of Public and Government Affairs. “Travelers should be sure to pack their patience and remember to be respectful when behind the wheel this holiday season.”

With a third of the populace traveling, the roadways can become what Townsend calls "powder kegs" this time of the year. Nearly 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the past year, according to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Two regional examples from recent years:

• Last Christmas Eve, the Metropolitan Police Department responded to a shooting involving two drivers a block from the old Walter Reed Army Hospital. Reportedly, detectives investigated the incident as a “possible road rage.”
• On Christmas Eve 2015, the Maryland State Police arrested a driver for waving and pointing a gun at a mother and her two young children who were riding in another vehicle on Interstate 95 in Harford County.

AAA offers these tips to help prevent road rage:

• Do Not Offend: Never cause another driver to change speed or direction. That means not forcing another driver to use their brakes, or turn the steering wheel in response to something you have done.
• Be Tolerant and Forgiving: The other driver may just be having a really bad day. Assume that it is not personal.
• Do Not Respond: Avoid eye contact, don’t make gestures, maintain space around your vehicle and call 9-1-1 if needed.

The Maryland Transportation Authority will be on the lookout for impaired driversover the holidays. The agency says it will be out in force conducting high-visibility patrols from Friday, Dec. 22, to Sunday, Dec. 31. Officers patrol highways, bridges and tunnels as well as the Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and the Port of Baltimore.

This year so far, Maryland Transportation Authority Police have arrested 944 impaired drivers.

Travelers are not being deterred by rising gas prices to travel less. As of Sunday, December 17, Maryland's average price was $2.42 per gallon, which reflects a 2 cent decrease from last week and a 9 cent price drop from last month, but a 13-cent increase over last year's price on this date.

Last year, Marylanders paid an average price of $2.30 per gallon for regular gasoline on Christmas Day and an average of $2.34 on New Year's Eve.

Drunk Drivers On Highways

Maryland State Police said officers were called to an increased number of alcohol-related crashes this weekend throughout the state. From Friday, Dec. 15, through the early morning hours of Monday, Dec. 18, troopers responded to 18 crashes involving alcohol across the state. Last year at the same time, Maryland State Police responded to 13 alcohol related crashes statewide.
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Troopers from each of the 23 Maryland State Police barracks will continue to focus on impaired driving, aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving and other violations that authorities say often contribute to highway tragedies. Additional troopers will be working overtime assignments funded by highway safety grants.

Extra holiday traffic this week through New Year's includes additional Maryland state troopers who will be using a variety of patrol 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 urge drivers to avoid impaired driving and plan for a designated driver or a sober ride home. Help us keep Maryland highways safe throughout this holiday season.

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