UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Deadly crashes are on the rise in Prince George's County and the state's attorney is launching a campaign with the hopes of changing that.
Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy will host a campaign kickoff for her new 'Drive Focused, Sober and Safe' initiative, in the upcoming weeks. It's designed to save lives while raising awareness about driving safe on the roads.
Braveboy explained that the number of fatal crashes are increasing and something must be done about it.
"Over the last six months, we've had over 40 fatal accidents and more than 50 people have lost their lives including very young people," Braveboy, whose office is responsible for prosecuting drivers at fault in these types of accidents, said.
Cynthia Jones lost her sister to a drunk driver on Indian Head Highway in 2000. She remembers the night vividly. She said her sister heard a rattling noise around her gas cap and pulled over on the highway to check it. She said that what happened next hurt the most.
"When she walked around the car to get back inside, the drunk driver hit her from behind and lifted her up out of her shoes," Jones said. "She was hit so hard that she flipped in the air like a baby doll, hit his windshield and landed flat on her back."
"A third of our accidents are a result of impaired driving," Braveboy said. "Both alcohol and drug-related impairments."
According to Braveboy, 'drugged-driving' will be part of the focus along with the need for police to have better technology to detect the amount of substance in a driver's system.
On April 27, the county will kick off the campaign at the Southern Regional Technology and Recreation Center in Ft. Washington. It will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
All are welcome to attend for free, but registration is preferred. You can sign-up here.
If you'd like to get involved with the campaign, you can reach out to Denise Roberts at 301.952.2848 or email at dgroberts@co.pg.md.us.
For more information about the Office of the State's Attorney, please visit here.