Maryland officials are trying to put a stop to the high number of crashes on the top side of the Capital Beltway, including using an app to warn truck drivers of large curves in the road.
Since March 15, WTOP has counted at least 10 crashes involving overturned or jackknifed tractor-trailers on the exact same part of the Outer Loop as it runs over Interstate 270 — and there have been even more crashes in the broader area.
Despite efforts on multiple fronts by Maryland State Police, “it continues to occur,” said Greg Shipley, a state police spokesman.
You’ve probably already seen increased enforcement by Maryland State Police along that stretch of road in recent weeks. In addition, Maryland’s State Highway Administration has been warning drivers on overhead signs to raise awareness, too.
Shipley said that the commercial vehicle enforcement unit has also started reaching out to truckers directly through an app they often use called Drivewyze.
“They issue a warning as commercial vehicles approach that area that there are significant curves in the road, that there have been a number of commercial vehicle driving crashes in that area,” Shipley said.
He added, “A number of these crashes have involved speeding, or speed too great for conditions, and that’s what we saw yesterday during the heavy rain.”
While the Maryland Department of Transportation gets ready to unveil some new plans aimed at making that stretch of road safer, Shipley said “a lot of this has to do with driver behavior.”
“That’s what we’re urging right now and that can be an immediate solution to many of these issues,” he said.
