Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6530
William O’Toole, 240-773-5030
For Immediate Release: August 1, 2001

Duncan Announces Aggressive Enforcement Campaign
to Enhance Traffic and Pedestrian Safety

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today announced the start of a major enforcement effort that will crack down on aggressive and unsafe drivers and educate pedestrians who are violating the law. As part of a monthly enforcement campaign, County Police will be targeting problem intersections and roadways.

“Montgomery County has zero tolerance of driving violators that contribute directly to pedestrian and traffic deaths and injuries,” said Duncan. “The launch of today’s effort to aggressively enforce our traffic laws is part of our comprehensive campaign of enforcement, engineering, and education that cracks down on unsafe drivers and makes the County a safer place for everyone.”

During today’s enforcement campaign, County Police will cite drivers who run red lights, speed, fail to yield, and fail to obey traffic signals. Police will educate pedestrians with information, and make them aware of pedestrian laws. To increase the safety of drivers and passengers, Police will also enforce seat belt and child safety seat laws.

“Pedestrian and traffic safety are such serious problems in Montgomery County that they require a comprehensive and collaborative problem solving approach,” said Montgomery County Police Chief Charles A. Moose, Ph.D. “We know that people continue to be seriously injured and killed in traffic incidents that clearly could be avoided. We all need to do our part – slow down, use our seatbelts, watch for pedestrians, cross streets cautiously, stop at red lights, always drive sober, and get our child safety seats inspected – to reduce these tragedies.”

The first roadway targeted today was Randolph Road between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. County traffic officers from all five District Stations and patrol/beat team officers from Districts bordering Randolph Road participated in today’s initiative. Police will focus on other problem areas in September and October. County Police have applied for a Maryland State Highway Administration grant that will provide additional funding to pay for overtime for officers involved in this initiative over the next year.

In June 2000, Duncan established the Montgomery County Blue Ribbon Panel on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety to identify key pedestrian and traffic safety problems and propose a set of short-term and long-term actions to address these concerns. Based on the Panel’s interim recommendations issued in January, Duncan included $1.2 million in his FY02 budget to expand pedestrian safety efforts by increasing the photo red light enforcement program and adding 15 additional cameras, rotated among 20 additional camera sites; adding a new pedestrian/bicycle safety coordinator; adding traffic analysis staff to assess critical accident data and develop a prevention program; and allocating $50,000 for a comprehensive public education campaign to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths. The Panel will release its final recommendations in December.

For more information about the Panel, call Gail Nachman at 301-986-4325 or check the County’s website at www.co.mo.md.us/pedestriansafety.