AVOIDING CONFUSION ON PROPOSED ROUTE 210 SAFETY LAW

Baltimore Orioles superstar Cal Ripken averaged about one base hit per game over his 21-season career. 

Maryland Route 210 averages about one vehicle crash per day this year over its less than 13-mile course in Prince George’s County.¹

One’s enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, while the other deserves a place in the US roadways hall of shame. And sadly, this road persists in striking out when it comes to safe travel.

Prince George’s Lawmakers Up Their Game

vs. MD 210 Roadway Violence

To deal with chronic road violence on Route 210, the Prince George’s County Delegation to the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis introduced PG 306-26 this fall 2025, a bill to increase the consequences for speeding on Maryland Route 210 and ignoring the resulting speed camera citations.

The bill authorizes and, in defined cases, requires the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) to suspend vehicle registrations for unpaid speed camera violations recorded on MD Route 210 (Indian Head Highway) in Prince George’s County. The bill expands existing speed monitoring law—limited to no more than six cameras on Route 210—and targets vehicles traveling at least 12 mph over the posted speed limit. For Route 210 violations specifically, the MVA may suspend a vehicle’s registration if the owner fails to pay or contest a citation, following notice from Prince George’s County and with due-process protections, including written notice and the right to a hearing.

Rogue Drivers Will Lose Registrations

The bill also establishes mandatory suspension thresholds: the MVA must suspend registration if, within any 90-day period, at least three citations go unpaid or uncontested, or if unpaid penalties total $500 or more at any time (emergency vehicles excepted.) Registrations are reinstated once all overdue penalties, fees, and court costs are paid, along with a $30 administrative fee to the County.

Answering What PG 306-26 Is. And Is Not.

Road safety advocates expect that the debut of draft PG 306-26 legislation could attract criticism among some who may not appreciate the value of life, the critical role of law enforcement and the need to practice better road hygiene.

Route 210 Traffic Safety Committee Co-founder and SafeRoadsMD Board Member Ron Weiss details the human cost of Route 210 road violence, speaking at a July 28, 2024 Road Victims Remembrance gathering in Fort Washington. (credit Dick Uliano, WTOP)

SafeRoadsMD Board Member and Route 210 Traffic Safety Co-Founder Ron Weiss, a volunteer, lays out the facts on PG 306-26: “We take concerns about racial profiling seriously. However, PG 306-26 is not designed to increase traffic stops. Its purpose is to create meaningful accountability for a small number of chronic, high-risk speeders who repeatedly ignore automated enforcement citations on MD 210.”

He continued,

1. The bill addresses dangerous repeat behavior, not routine driving.

“PG 306-26 focuses on drivers who accumulate multiple unpaid speed camera violations or substantial unpaid penalties. These are not inadvertent or one-time mistakes. These habitual violations reflect a pattern of continued high-risk conduct on one of Maryland’s most dangerous corridors.”

2. The enforcement mechanism is administrative, not “stop-driven.”

“The core tool in PG 306-26 is registration action by the MVA, not expanded police discretion. The bill does not create a new offense. It strengthens compliance with civil penalties already issued through an automated, race-neutral system.”

3. Automated enforcement reduces the need for discretionary stops.

“Speed cameras and point-to-point enforcement promote compliance without officer-initiated stops, which is precisely why many equity advocates prefer automated methods for routine speed enforcement. PG 306-26 complements that model by ensuring the automated system has real consequences for repeat noncompliance.”

4. Public safety compels stronger consequences for chronic violators.

“The small subset of drivers who repeatedly speed and refuse to resolve citations endanger everyone on MD 210. This bill is a targeted response to that danger. Without a meaningful back-end consequence, speed camera enforcement becomes easy to ignore for the most reckless drivers.”

5. Due process and notice remain central.

“Drivers will receive notice and have the opportunity to pay or contest. The bill links consequences to documented, repeated, unresolved violations, not subjective judgment in the field.”

Going Forward

The Route 210 Traffic Safety Committee and SafeRoadsMD look forward to continuing to support Bill PG 306-26 and its introduction by the Prince George’s County Delegation in the Maryland General Assembly beginning January 14, 2026. 

3 Things You Can Do Now

1. Contact your local Maryland State Senator and Delegates today to voice your concern about crashes and support for increased safety on Route 210 via PG 306-26. Visit  https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Members/District and click on the “Lookup” button.

   
   

2. Please support our mission to reduce roadway fatalities, injuries and crashes by donating here: https://www.saferoadsmd.org/donate. Help protect yourself, family and friends by supporting stronger laws, effective law enforcement and improved driving behavior on our roads. SafeRoadsMD is making a real difference in helping Maryland leadership give top priority to road safety.

   
   

3. Should you indeed “recognize” yourself or someone you know and care for as you’ve read this blogpost, it’s never a bad time to turn around…and convert to a model driver on our shared community of roads in Maryland. Please review, make and share the Maryland Safe Driver Pledge here now. 

Footnote: 

¹ As of this post on December 19, 2025, day #353 in the year, exactly 353 crashes took place on Route 210. Source: Maryland State Police crash data