“The annual survey of Maryland residents about their concerns and attitudes toward traffic safety will begin on Wednesday, July 1. This online, anonymous survey will be available to all Marylanders through August 12th. Residents can take the survey by logging onto http://www.marylanddriversurvey.com. The survey takes just 10-15 minutes to complete.

This survey of local community traffic issues was developed by the University of Maryland for Maryland’s Department of Transportation, Maryland State Highway Administration’s Safety Office. It is part of an ongoing effort to monitor public beliefs, concerns, and behaviors of Maryland motorists regarding traffic safety issues, especially at the local level. With over 2,600 people taking the survey last year, the results showed that over 62% of the respondents were concerned about speeding and aggressive driving in their community. Over 50% were concerned about people who use cell phones while driving, yet almost 75% reported using a cell phone at least once when they drove in the last month.

According to the survey’s developer, Dr. Kenneth Beck of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, these results along with other data (e.g., crashes, injuries, and arrests) can help plan and monitor traffic safety programs that are designed to be specific to particular communities.

“”The highway safety concerns for large metropolitan communities, such as Montgomery or Prince George’s county, are likely to be different than from smaller or more rural communities, or even counties on the Eastern Shore,”” Beck said, adding that “”the survey and its results will help localize and define the needs and issues of their county.”””