(March 3, 2020) – Safety messages created by students at Oxon Hill Middle School are being displayed on portable variable messaging signs along the MD 210 corridor as part of a partnership between the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) and community traffic safety advocates. The effort promotes driver and pedestrian safety along MD 210, also known as Indian Head Highway, one of the busiest roads in Prince George’s County.
Representatives from the community-based 210 Traffic Safety Committee hosted a highway safety slogan contest at Oxon Hill Middle School in the Fort Washington area, adjacent to the MD 210 corridor in Prince George’s County. To inspire their slogans, students were asked what message they would like to give to drivers traveling the busy roadway. Three winners were selected by the 210 Traffic Safety Committee and presented to MDOT SHA, which then formatted the slogans for placement on portable variable messaging signs.
“At MDOT SHA, safety is our top priority,” said Acting MDOT SHA Administrator Tim Smith. “We thank the 210 Traffic Safety Committee and Oxon Hill Middle School for their local leadership as we embrace the three Es of traffic safety – engineering, education and enforcement – and work together toward our mutual goal of preventing traffic crashes and saving lives.”
The winning slogans – No Need to Speed, Be the Best on the Road and Fools Break Rules – will be displayed on the message boards and featured on social media.
Education and awareness of driver behavior are critically important factors in reducing personal injury and fatal crashes. More than 75,000 cars travel daily along the MD 210 corridor. In 2019, local law enforcement issued more than 18,000 citations (8,554 of them were issued by speed cameras), and there were 834 crashes on the roadway, including three fatalities.
“We felt it was important to have the children involved and give them a voice considering they are our future drivers,” said Pastor Stephanie L. Bynum, a member of the 210 Traffic Safety Committee and organizer of the slogan contest. “[MDOT SHA] has been working diligently with the 210 Traffic Safety Committee to display the slogans. It is our hope that the voice of the children will have an impact on safer driving.”
In addition to recent lighting and signing upgrades, MDOT SHA is constructing a new interchange along MD 210 from south of I-495/I-95 to north of Palmer Road. The project will replace the existing intersection of Kerby Hill Road/Livingston Road at MD 210 with a grade-separated interchange and access ramps. Other improvements include the addition of access roads for residents and businesses, retaining walls and noise barriers along residential properties, and improved facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists. Construction began in spring 2016 and the project will be complete in late 2021.
For more information, visit www.roads.maryland.gov.
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