Maryland has a blunt new message for speeders and aggressive drivers as roadway deaths continue to claim lives.
“‘Slow the Fast Down.’ It is simple. It is memorable, and importantly, it is safe for work,” Gov. Wes Moore said at a launch event Tuesday for the new driver safety campaign.
Moore and other state officials spoke at the Motor Vehicle Administration headquarters in Glen Burnie against a backdrop of mangled vehicles involved in serious crashes, including a Maryland State Police patrol car hit by an impaired driver.
The campaign includes billboards and other messaging aimed at getting drivers to slow down and make safer choices behind the wheel.
Moore said it is designed to grab drivers’ attention.
“We wanted a message that would actually get people’s attention,” Moore said. “We wanted a message that would cut through the noise.”
Maryland has seen roadway deaths decline two straight years straight, but Moore said there’s still work to do.
“Too many people are still being killed on our roads,” he said. “Too many families are still living with that loss.”
Two of those killed on Maryland roads this year were state transportation workers.
“We lost two dedicated members of our MDOT family, Robert Dempsey and Dipakkumar Patel, while they were just out doing their jobs on the roads to keep us safe,” Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson said.
Many crashes come down to choices drivers make behind the wheel, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Michael Jackson said.
“Speed, aggressive driving, impairment and distraction are all things that we can totally eliminate,” Jackson said.
David Harkey, the president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said the campaign’s approach fits the problem.
“It’s a time when we need aggressive messaging to match the aggressive driving that we see on our roadways,” Harkey said.
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