Reported traffic accidents are on the rise in Baltimore City and Baltimore and Howard counties, but are falling in Carroll, Harford and Anne Arundel counties.
There were 3,379 reported accidents in Howard last year, up 5.6 percent from 3,191 accidents in 2006, representing the largest percentage increase in the Baltimore region, according to data from the Maryland State Highway Administration.
Some of the counties that saw more accidents, like Howard, also had fewer fatalities, as well as injuries, state officials said.
“The trends can sometimes be hard to judge, because it could be a variety of factors,” said Lora Rakowski, safety marketing and education manager with the Maryland State Highway Administration.
“’It could be better reporting of crashes or that more are calling police for a fender bender.”
The increase in accidents but decrease in some fatalities could also be attributed to Maryland’s seat belt law, which has resulted in the highest seat belt usage on the East Coast at over 93 percent, Rakowski said.
Programs to reduce fatalities involve targeting aggressive drivers, young drivers, motorcyclists and even mature drivers, officials said.
Aggressive driving is defined as committing three separate offenses, like speeding, passing on the right and following too closely, all in one driving act, said Howard County police Capt. John McKissick, commander of the special operations bureau.
“All of these programs together do have an impact, as well as the technology in the vehicles, like air bags,” McKissick said.
“The seat belt use in Howard County is tremendous, and well into the 90 percent range,” he said.
While Howard saw accidents rise and fatalities drop, Harford saw accidents drop from 3,426 in 2006 to 3,388 in 2007, but it saw fatalities rise from 24 to 30.
Accidents and fatalities dropped both in Anne Arundel and Carroll. Baltimore City and Baltimore County both saw accidents and fatalities rise.
“It’s important to remember that these statistics include all police-reported accidents — with really minor damage from curbs to the serious crashes that resulted in fatalities,” said Chuck Gischlar, spokesman for the SHA.
ACCIDENTS and FATALITIES
Traffic accidents and fatalities from 2006 to 2007:
Traffic accidents Fatalities
Jurisdiction 2006 2007 2006 2007
Anne Arundel 8,977 8,850 61 48
Baltimore City 19,168 19,394 44 46
Baltimore County 15,260 15,719 68 72
Carroll 2,214 2,168 24 21
Harford 3,426 3,388 24 30
Howard 3,191 3,379 23 20
Source: Maryland State Highway Administration
