In March 2024, while driving at 77 miles per hour on a local Montgomery County road, 36-year-old Vincent Anderson collided with a vehicle driven by Maria Perdomo.[1] Perdomo was pronounced dead at the scene, and Anderson was charged with manslaughter and failure to control speed to avoid a collision.[2] Four months later, in Prince George’s (“PG”) County, a speed-related accident claimed the lives of Minnesota Vikings cornerback Khyree Jackson, Isaiah Hazel, and Anthony Lytton.[3] That same month, PG county community members gathered to commemorate the lives lost in the accidents on Maryland Route 210.[4] There, they learned of the measures elected officials were taking to address the public safety concern speeding has caused, and expressed their support for greater enforcement against high-speed drivers.[5]

Speeding is a leading cause of accidents and fatalities, contributing to one-third of fatal crashes in the nation.[6] In Maryland, there was an average number of 8,069 speed related accidents between 2019 and 2023.[7] In those same years, speed related accidents leading to fatalities averaged 91 and the average number of speed related accidents that led to injuries was 2,298.[8] In a study conducted by Simmrin Law Group, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data was analyzed and states were ranked based on speed-related fatalities.[9]  Maryland ranked 17th for traffic deaths caused by speed.[10]

In an effort to manage speed and reduce accidents caused by speeding, Maryland law allows for the use of automated speed enforcement systems.[11] The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated the long-term impact of Montgomery County’s speed camera program and concluded that speed cameras reduce speeding, which in turn reduces speed-related accidents.[12] The institute found that an incapacitating or fatal accident is 19% less likely to occur on camera-eligible roads.[13] Despite the success of speed cameras, the maximum penalty imposed on violators is $40 regardless of the excessiveness of speed, and thus does not deter speeding as much as it should.[14]

To increase deterrence of excessive speeding, Maryland lawmakers have proposed Senate Bill 118 (“bill” or “SB 118”), sponsored by Senator Waldstreicher.[15] The bill will punish violators going at excessive speeds more harshly than those driving closer to the speed limit.[16] SB 118 creates a tier system for penalties imposed by speed cameras, ranging from $40 to $425 depending on the excessiveness of the speed violation.[17] The maximum penalty for exceeding the speed limit by 12 to 15 miles per hour (“mph”) is $40; 16 to 19 mph is $70; 20 to 29 mph is $120; 30 to 39 mph is $230; and 40 or more mph is $425.[18] The probability that a speed related accident will lead to death or serious injury rises the higher the speed, “doubling for every 10 mph over 50 mph that a vehicle travels.”[19] The bill, therefore, aims to target aggressive speeding that is more likely to result in greater harm to the community. Senator Waldstreicher pointed out that the penalty of the lowest tier remains the same, demonstrating that the bill is not aimed “to create revenue” but rather to promote public safety.[20] Should SB 118 pass, it would go into effect October 1, 2025.[21]

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Veronica Giron is a 2025 graduate from the University of Baltimore School of Law and was formerly an Associate Editor for the University of Baltimore Law Forum. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2017. During her 2L summer, Veronica worked as a Summer Associate at Thomas, Thomas & Hafer LLP. Since graduating and passing the Maryland bar, she has returned to the firm as a first-year Associate.

[1] Khalida Volou, Va. Man Charged After High-Speed Tesla Crash That Killed 77-Year-Old Woman in Aspen Hill, ABC 13 News (Oct. 10, 2024, 2:50 PM), https://wset.com/news/local/montgomery-county-aspen-hill-fatal-crash-virginia-man-charged-manslaughter-high-speed-tesla-crash-77-year-old-woman-vincent-anderson-maria-antonieta-perdomo.

[2] Id.

[3] Minyvonne Burke & Cristian Santana, Vikings Rookie Khyree Jackson Killed in Maryland Car Crash That Claimed the Lives of 2 Others, NDC News (July 6, 2024, 3:45 PM), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/vikings-rookie-khyree-jackson-killed-maryland-car-crash-claimed-lives-rcna160541.

[4] Dick Uliano, Prince George’s Co. Community Gathers to Remember Victims of Crash Deaths, Push For Change, WTOP (July 28, 2024, 10:45 AM), https://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2024/07/community-gathers-to-remember-crash-deaths-and-push-for-change/.

[5] Id.

[6] Speed and Aggressive Driving, Zero Deaths MD, https://zerodeathsmd.gov/road-safety/aggressive-driving/ (last visited Apr. 8, 2024).

[7] Id.

[8] Id.

[9]  Megan VerHelst, MD Among Worst States For Speed-Related Deaths: Study, Patch (Nov. 29, 2024, 4:00 PM), https://patch.com/maryland/bowie/md-among-worst-states-speed-related-deaths-study.

[10] Id.

[11] Automated Speed Enforcement, Md. Dep’t Transp., https://roads.maryland.gov/mdotsha/pages/Index.aspx?PageId=780 (last visited Apr. 8, 2024); Richard L. Duncan, Fiscal and Policy Note, Md. Gen. Assem. 1, 3 (Apr. 3, 2025), https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/fnotes/bil_0008/sb0118.pdf.

[12] Wen Hu & Anne T. McCartt, Effects of Automated Speed Enforcement in Montgomery County, Maryland, On Vehicle Speeds, Public Opinion, and Crashes, IIHS (2016), https://www.iihs.org/topics/bibliography/ref/2097; Speed Cameras Reduce Injury Crashes in Maryland County, IIHS Study Shows, IIHS (Oct. 1, 2015), https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/speed-cameras-reduce-injury-crashes-in-maryland-county-iihs-study-shows#:~:text=They%20found%20that%20the%20cameras,police%20officer%20on%20the%20scene.

[13] IIHS, supra note 12.

[14] Uliano, supra note 4.

[15] See generally Duncan, supra note 11.

[16] S.B. 118, Md. Gen. Assemb. 2025 Reg. Sess. (Md. 2025)

[17] Duncan, supra note 11 at 2.

[18] Id.

[19]  Zero Deaths MD, supra note 6.

[20] Tierra Williams, New Legislation Would Raise the Costs of Speeding Fines for Marylanders, WMDT (Apr. 1, 2025), https://www.wmdt.com/2025/04/new-legislation-would-raise-the-cost-of-speeding-fines-for-marylanders/.

[21] Id.