Stop the Maryland Unsafe Driver

Posts Tagged ‘siren’

The trooper explained that Roylance had just run afoul of a new law, which took effect Oct. 1 and has been woefully underreported by myself and others, requiring motorists to move over by a lane or to slow down when passing an emergency vehicle on the side of the road with its red or blue lights on.

via Flashing lights say: ‘Move over’ – baltimoresun.com.

(STOP the MUD agrees with Michael Dresser that this new law was woefully under reported.  Maryland now requires, as does West Virginia that we are aware of, drivers to move left (or right as the case may be) or slow down (if movement is not possible) when passing emergency vehicles on the side of the road. Maryland SHOULD BE using roadside signs to warn drivers as West Virginia is doing.

Stop the MUD hopes that public safety employees both on and off duty will extend the SAME safety conscious behavior to Maryland drivers. Maybe it can even be done by not having to legislate the requirement. We’d like to see:

• Public safety vehicles driving the speed limit when said vehicles do not have their emergency lights activated.
• Public safety vehicles beginning to stop for yellow lights instead of blasting through the intersection.
• Wise use of lights and siren and department policies limiting the number of units using lights and sirens going to the same event.
• Mandatory emergency vehicle training for law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical employees.
• Drivers of public safety vanity plates OBEYING the traffic laws.
• Public safety vehicles stopping at red lights and stop signs.
• Stop tailgating vehicles in the number one lane at excessive speeds and allowing other vehicles to tailgate the public safety vehicle.

We want YOU to start setting the example on Maryland roads and highways now that you have legislated YOUR safety – and really didn’t go out of your way to tell us.)

Driving to Solomons from Huntingtown on Friday October 8, I was tailgated by a male driver for about fifteen miles in the slow lane. The driver was also on his cell phone.  On the return trip a women driving well in excess of fifty-five miles per hour in the fastlane was chatting away on her phone.

I thought to myself that either these drivers could just care less or they don’t know.  The new Maryland law does not seem off to a good start.

Then there was the marked law enforcement vehicle from a PG county city doing well over fifty five tailgating another vehicle. No lights or siren. Interestingly, another car was tailgating him. This is what we call a MUD Slide with a cherry on top.

By the way, I also noticed more folks actually driving the speed limit. These were not elderly folks or white knuckled drivers but regular folks. Maybe the word IS getting out. Safe drivers are still well in the minority in Maryland.