October 5, 2009 – Motor vehicle crashes can have a devastating impact on victims and families. However, it is not as well known that crashes come with another cost as well, an economic cost. The estimated economic impact of motor vehicle crashes on Maryland roadways has reached an astounding $5.7 billion a year. Maryland employers and employees are adversely affected by reduced productivity, higher insurance premiums, and personal injury. The costs are absorbed by taxpayer dollars, Medicaid, and higher insurance premiums. To help reduce motor vehicle crashes, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland State Highway Administration and Choose Safety for Life partners are proud to join with the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) in support of their annual Drive Safely Work Week (DSWW) October 5-9.
“For many people, the time they spend on the job and commuting to work makes up a large part of their day,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “It is important to focus our safety efforts to reflect this reality. I urge employers everywhere to join us in our vision for a safer Maryland by communicating with their employees about the importance of safe driving, on and off the job. Promoting safe driving is not only smart business, it is everybody’s business.”
State government will help lead the way this week when State employees are urged to Be A Driving Force for Safety in response to an Executive Order issued by Governor O’Malley. State agency fleet managers will launch the Be A Driving Force for Safety initiative that includes a new hands-free mobile communications policy for state employees when driving state fleet vehicles. The initiative also offers employees an online driver improvement program.
Driving Safely Work Week is the NETS annual national workplace safety campaign, providing an easy, affordable way to remind employees of safe driving practices. Numerous campaign initiatives across the state of Maryland will be occurring during the week of October 5-9, 2009. Coinciding with Drive Safely Work Week is the introduction of several new Maryland state driving laws that took affect last week. The laws include a ban on texting while driving, increased penalties for drunk driving, new restrictions on teen drivers, and the introduction of speed enforcement cameras in work zones and school zones.
“The State Highway Administration is committed to the safety of all Maryland motorists,” said SHA Administrator Neil Pedersen. “While we have always aimed to educate the motoring public about safe driving habits, we welcome the addition of these timely new laws to complement our efforts.” As part of its safety effort, SHA employees will be at various Motor Vehicle Administration locations on Thursday, October 8 to distribute educational materials about the state’s new ban on texting while driving. The ban, which went into effect on October 1, prohibits drivers from sending or writing a text message while the vehicle is in motion.
Motor vehicle crash statistics clearly define the impact on Maryland families and businesses. On average, more than 600 Marylanders die in traffic crashes every year. That is more than die by homicide. Another 50,000 Marylanders are severely injured. Last year, excessive speed was associated with 163 fatalities and 10,024 non-fatal injuries in Maryland. In addition, inattentive-related driving crashes injure 19,660 people, on average, annually. Many of these types of crashes involve drivers who are either driving to work or are driving for work-related tasks.
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