Maryland is the speed camera capital of the United States. Throw in an overbearing police presence and a notoriously predatory traffic court system that scoffs at due process and you have a driver’s worst nightmare. If you plan to travel to or through Maryland this holiday season, take a moment to review these speed trap hotspots you’ll want to avoid.
This information comes from the NMA’s National Speed Trap Exchange (http://www.speedtrap.org/), a unique website that gives drivers an opportunity to report on and exchange comments about predatory speed traps they have encountered on their travels.
Five Highest Activity Speed Trap Locations
1. Gaithersburg: S. Frederick Ave. 100 block
107 Reports 98% Acknowledgement Rate*
“Six lane road that is 35-45 mph elsewhere in county. Here, the speed limit drops to 30 and there is a speed camera. There are inadequate signs indicating that the speed limit is so low.”
2. Laurel: Contee Road, 8400 block
87 Reports 98% Acknowledgement Rate
“Speed entrapment area. Marked a school zone even though the school is NOT on Contee Road. Speed camera units are set up in front of the EZ-Storage shooting both directions.”
3. Baltimore: I 695 and 83
70 Reports 97% Acknowledgement Rate
“There is a “construction zone”, and an unmarked white SUV sits on either side of the highway at any given time, taking pictures of the license plates of anyone going over 62 mph.”
4. Silver Spring: Briggs Chaney Road
59 Reports 100% Acknowledgement Rate
“The speed limit is enforced with cameras here. Be sure to watch your speed!”
5. Hagerstown Dual Highway West after you come off the I-70 ramp
58 Reports 97% Acknowledgement Rate
“A cop sits on the right waiting for a speeder coming off the I-70 ramp or going west on Dual highway.”
Ten Maryland Cities with Most Reported Speed Traps (for the Last Five Years)
Rank | City | Number of Speed Traps | Acknowledgement Rate |
1 | 28 | 86% | |
2 | 14 | 81% | |
3 | 10 | 85% | |
4 | 10 | 68% | |
5 | 9 | 79% | |
6 | 9 | 83% | |
7 | 8 | 86% | |
8 | 8 | 94% | |
9 | 8 | 85% | |
10 | 7 | 83% |
* Acknowledgement rate is the percentage of yes votes to total votes by motorists indicating whether the reported locations, in their opinions, are actually speed traps. Data are available at the links provided.
About The National Speed Trap Exchange
With the development of The National Speed Trap Exchange (http://www.speedtrap.org/) more than 10 years ago, the National Motorists Association pioneered the use of interactive media to alert motorists to potential speed trap activity in their communities. Since then the site has reported on nearly 80,000 speed traps throughout the United States and Canada.
