Records provided to News4 show that more than 5,000 citations were issued in one month for speeding on Indian Head Highway — with one driver caught going 143 mph.
Indian Head Highway, or Route 210, in Prince George's County, Maryland, has a reputation for being one of the deadliest roads in the D.C. region.
The Rev. Dr. Robert Screen has advocated for safety measures on the highway for years. His group is a large reason why speed cameras were put in place.
"The cameras basically just tell the story of the picture, of the mirror image of what we are. If we don’t like the picture, we need to change it. But, unfortunately, sometimes people are not interested in changing the image. They want to do what they do," Screen said.
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Dozens of people have died in crashes on the highway in the past decade.
In December 2018, three young siblings ages 5 and 1 died in a crash involving a drunken driver. Police and prosecutors vowed to crack down on traffic violations on the highway after the deadly crash.
Screen said he has counseled many family members who have lost loved ones in crashes. But even for a road with such a dangerous history, he said the latest numbers are shocking.
Five-thousand citations were issued in about a 30-day period. To put that into perspective, cameras issued 9,000 tickets from Aug. 2019 to Feb. 2020, amounting to roughly 1,500 a month.
Hundreds of the drivers caught speeding are repeat offenders.
Screen said one reckless driver going more than 100 mph hit and destroyed one of the speed cameras.
Prince George’s County police said they have seen an uptick in speeding throughout the entire county during the pandemic.
