Major Speeding Crackdown Planned In PG County This Weekend: Cops

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — If you're going to be driving on Interstate 495 in Prince George's County on Saturday, make sure you drive very safely, because cops will be watching.

Maryland State Police is teaming up with the Prince George's County Police Department to conduct a speeding and aggressive driving enforcement initiative on Saturday on the Beltway, MSP said in a statement.

"The I-495 initiative is set to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and will include troopers from the College Park and Forestville barracks," the statement reads. "The initiative comes as a three-year crash analysis study determined that the Columbus Day weekend has a high propensity for speed-related collisions."

MSP says that speeding was a contributing factor in 26 percent of all fatal crashes in the United States in 2017, resulting in more than 9,700 fatalities.

"From 2013 – 2017, aggressive drivers were involved in over 4,500 crashes on Maryland roads," the statement adds. "In 2017, there were 4,526 crashes due to aggressive driving in Maryland, causing 54 fatalities. On average, they cause a combined almost 3,000 injuries and deaths per year. Also, in the last five years, over 85 percent of aggressive driving crashes in Maryland happened in the Baltimore/Washington area."