BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland’s bustling urban streets are becoming increasingly dangerous, turning everyday commutes into growing safety concerns for drivers.
According to the latest LendingTree study, 93% of fatal crashes were in urban areas of Maryland while 6% were in rural areas, the 2nd largest difference in the country.
The results showed that:
- Maryland saw a 42% increase in urban fatal crashes from 2019 – 2023.
- Maryland experienced a 71% decrease in rural fatal crashes from 2019 – 2023, the largest decrease among all U.S. states.
- Urban areas accounted for nearly 3 in 5 fatal crashes across the U.S.
- Fatal crashes in urban areas increased 19% from 18,753 in 2019 to 22,400 in 2023. Over the same period, fatal crashes in rural areas increased 2%.
Cities can be hot spots for dangerous driving. In fact, 59.5% of fatal crashes in 2023 were in urban areas, versus 39.7% in rural areas. (Despite this, rural roads account for 70.2% of public road miles, versus 29.8% for urban roads, according to Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA, data.)…