Howard County Strategic Road Safety Plan

Strategic Road Safety Plan

Howard County is recognized as one of the best places to live in the United States and is characterized by low unemployment, a highly educated population, low crime, a nationally recognized education system, and is one of the safest jurisdictions in the state to drive, take the bus, walk, and bike. However, crashes are one of the leading causes of death and injuries for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists in both Maryland and Howard County and ensuring and improving the safety and health of Howard County’s residents, visitors, and travelers is a county goal and priority.

To meet this vision, the Strategic Road Safety Plan developed:

• Data driven and achievable goals and targets
• Selection of emphasis areas with the greatest impact on safety
• Proven and effective cooperative strategies to meet the plan goals

Plan Implementation and Steering Committee

The Strategic Road Safety Plan was completed in 2020. Howard County is now moving forward on the implementing actions in the plan and is reforming the steering committee to guide this implementation. One of the actions in the plan was the development of a high injury network. A copy of the preliminary draft high injury network study can be found here. 

This methodology results in realistic, data-driven, and achievable goals and targets:

• A 2040 goal to reduce number of fatalities by at least 50%.

• A 2025 target to reduce the rate of fatalities by 20% to 0.35 / per 100 Million vehicle miles traveled.

• A 2025 target to reduce the rate of injuries by 20% to 28.80 / per 100 Million vehicle miles traveled.

• A 2025 target to reduce the rate of serious injuries by 19% to 2.35 / per 100 Million vehicle miles traveled. 

CB57-2022

In 2022, the Howard County Council passed legislation that complements and expands upon the recommendations in the Strategic Road Safety Plan. This legislation, the Howard County Vision Zero Act of 2022, requires an infrastructure review of all traffic fatalities that occur on county roads, along with recommendations to improve and enhance infrastructure safety. As members of our implementation steering committee, the Howard County Department of Public Works, along with other members including the Office of Transportation, will work toward this effort that complements our goal of creating a transportation network that is safe for all of its users. 

Other Links and Resources

As the steering committee works toward the implementation of The Strategic Road Safety Plan, the County has set up other resources for citizens to be proactive in helping keep our roads safe. 

Howard County Police Department

Howard County Police Department has a dedicated email address for citizen notifications of driving violations, inclusive of speeding and disregard for stop regulation, as a means of logging number/types of complaints and to aid in scheduling of targeted enforcement.

Please email: [email protected].

We encourage you to share the email address with any other neighbors who are also witnessing speeding and/or reckless driving.

Howard County Department of Public Works

Howard County Department of Public Works' Traffic Engineering Division has this email address for public inquiries/comments/concerns/requests regarding the operation of Howard County roadways.

Please email: [email protected] 

Maryland's Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)

Howard County's plan was influenced by the statewide plan and takes on the principles and overall goals of the SHSP while addressing specific concerns relative to our county.

You can find information on the State of Maryland's Strategic Highway Safety Plan here.