LA PLATA, Md. (July 16, 2009) - The Charles County Sheriff's Office today released the following incident and arrest reports.
DRUG ARREST: On July 15 at 7:26 a.m., officers responded to the 4900 block of Indian Head Highway in Indian Head for the report of a reckless driver. Officers located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop after observing the car strike a curb. The driver, Christopher Devin Heard, 29, of Fort Washington, was arrested after failing several sobriety tests. Officers also found a two-ounce bottle of liquid PCP in his clothing. Heard was charged with possession of drugs and several traffic violations. Officer S. Miller made the arrest.
MARYLAND TRAFFIC SAFETY SURVEY: The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is inviting citizens to participate in a statewide traffic safety survey being conducted online by the Department of Public and Community Health of the University of Maryland, with support from the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration and the Maryland Highway Safety Office.
“Monitoring the Future of Maryland: A Survey of Highway Safety Issues” will collect public opinions on Maryland traffic issues such as traffic concerns, drunk-driving problems, knowledge of traffic safety issues and other topics. The annual survey is available from July 1 to Aug. 12 at http://www.marylanddriversurvey.com and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. Participation is anonymous.
The survey is part of ongoing efforts to monitor public beliefs, concerns and behaviors of motorists regarding traffic safety issues, especially at the local level. According to the survey’s developer, Dr. Kenneth Beck of the University of Maryland School of Public Health, the results along with other data — such as crashes, injuries and arrests — can help in planning and monitoring traffic safety programs that are designed to be specific to particular communities.
“The highway safety concerns for large metropolitan communities, such as Montgomery or Prince George’s county, are likely to be different than from smaller or more rural communities, or even counties on the Eastern Shore,” Beck said, adding that “the survey and its results will help localize and define the needs and issues of their county.”
Last year, 2,600 people took the survey last year and the results showed that more than 62 percent of the respondents were concerned about speeding and aggressive driving in their community and more than 50 percent were concerned about people who use cell phones while driving, while almost 75 percent reported using a cell phone at least once when they drove in the last month.