Police Continue Traffic Campaign After Streak of Deadly Collisions

Police across the state of Maryland are looking to take drunk drivers off the road as people celebrate the New Year. The holiday is annually one of the worst days of the year for drunk driving arrests.

But this year, the holiday comes shortly after a devastating year in Anne Arundel County that left many pedestrians dead and more seriously injured in 40 days.

In Edgewater, Davidsonville and south county alone, police have had to respond and help prevent serious accidents throughout 2012:

• Police: Driver Error Caused Double-Fatal Accident
• Police Cracking Down on Distracted Driving Along Route 2
• Police: Edgewater Man Killed by Falling Tree During Storm
• Killed Pedestrian Seen 'Running Into Roadway'

In response to traffic-related deaths and injuries, the Anne Arundel County Police Department announced the "Thirty-Five to Save Lives" campaign, which started on Dec. 10 and will continue through Jan. 7.

As part of the campaign, officers are dedicating time every day to traffic enforcement on roads proven to have a high frequency of crashes.

"The ultimate goal of the enforcement plan is for motorists and pedestrians to voluntarily comply with rules of the road without the requirement for a continuous police presence," said police department spokesman Justin Mulcahy in a press release.

Each police district is dedicating one officer per shift to spend at least 30 minutes targeting impaired, distracted and aggressive driving, as well as pedestrian safety and speeding. The targeted locations are chosen based on collision and past enforcement data, according to police.

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