New MDOT Crash Dashboard Reveals Baltimore County's Most Dangerous Roads

BALTIMORE COUNTY - In 2022, a fatal accident occurred in Baltimore County every ~5.5 days, according to a new Crash Data Dashboard released by the Maryland Department of Transportation on Wednesday.

The dashboard displays times, causes, age of drivers, and a heatmap of crashes across the state. The data is compiled from police crash reports submitted to the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP) through the Automated Crash Reporting System (ACRS).

Credit: Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration

According to MDOT, Baltimore County has the second most dangerous roads of any jurisdiction in Maryland. Last year, 63 people died in Baltimore County Crashes, second only to Prince George’s County with 99 fatalities.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of accidents occur close to the city line, particularly on I-695. Of the 63 fatal crashes, 44 occurred on State Roadways (highways), with only 19 happening on local roads.

The data also revealed that the most common contributing factors to crashes in Baltimore County were speeding, failure to yield, and tailgating. In addition, the data showed that the highest number of crashes occurred on Mondays and Saturdays during the afternoon and evening rush hour. 

Curiously, more than half of fatal crashes occur in an area where the speed limit is 35 mph or less. The data also shows that fatal crashes are the most likely to occur when a vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, not changing lanes or making a left turn.

Credit: Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration

For more information on how the data was collected, or to request a report for a specific crash, see here.