I suddenly feel a fear welling up inside of me as I travel on I-495 across the American Legion Memorial Bridge into Maryland. Another driver who is sporting a Maryland license plate speedily changes lanes and the car next to me honks at him. After three years of driving in the Washington D.C. area, I can now say with certainty that Maryland drivers are the worst.
I do my best to suppress the intense rivalry between Maryland and Virginia since attending Gonzaga College High School, which enrolls students from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., but I’ve decided to speak out regarding this issue because I’ve had far too many close calls with bad drivers from the state known mostly for blue crabs and Old Bay seasoning.
Although there may be many who dispute this assertion, evidence proves that it is true in the “DMV.” Although many commuters in Maryland claim to not be horrible drivers, this is a false representation. However, they might not be the only ones to blame in the instance.
In an article posted on his website, Trial Lawyer Mr. Paul M. D’Amore claims that the blame might not be fully on Maryland residents and partially on the infrastructure of the state. An array of areas that includes road conditions, commute times and theft rates are partially responsible for the state’s poor drivers.
“Maryland tied with New York for having the worst average commute time in the country, about 30 to 45 minutes each way to work,” Mr. D’Amore claims. “The more time you are on the roads, the higher your risk is of getting into an accident.”
According to Maryland’s 2021 Infrastructure Report Card, residents must travel long distances on roads that are only in good condition 80% of the time because the majority of jobs are located in the state’s urban areas. Is that an excuse even though they may not be entirely to blame?
Timothy Lis, a senior and a resident of Alexandria, Virginia, concurs that Maryland drivers are the worst.
“Obviously, I feel for them because I too didn’t know how to drive once upon a time,” Lis said. “Every time I see an accident on the road, I swear I always see that Maryland license plate with their overused flag. Most of them drive like maniacs, and it’s so unnecessary on a highway where the speed limit is already 60 to 70 miles per hour.”
Mr. Lis’ view of them as “maniacs” isn’t the only one. Washingtonian’s Sylvie McNamara claimed in a recent post that they are angry and aggressive souls.
“Maryland ranked the seventh most aggressive state in the nation while angelic Virginia came in way down at 44,” Ms. McNamara claimed.
As someone who genuinely wants to see Marylanders improve their driving skills, I believe it is essential that the state government of Maryland do more to assist its citizens. The state needs to make some adjustments, whether it’s adding a little extra money for better roads or providing resources to guarantee that crime stays low. Poor habits all around the community cause the residents’ commutes to become unnecessarily tense.
Because Maryland drivers are the worst, I will continue to be constantly afraid whenever I share the road with them, but I sincerely hope they find a way to improve their driving soon.
James Morgan • Feb 14, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Good “hook” there Wyatt – and some nicely chosen factoids/quotes for our community. I wonder how much MD (& DC) got out of the Infrastructure bill … & how they spent it. (recent MD scandal – education spending of pandemic funds [raises to Admin] & Baltimore schools – where 23 schools were just reported by the MD Dept. of Ed to have “0” (zero) percent students “proficient” at math.