As authorities consider criminal charges in the Accokeek drag racing accident that killed eight bystanders this month, Prince George’s County and state police today are weighing ways to curb the rise in illegal street racing in Southern Maryland.
Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson, along with county and state police officials, is expected to both defend current policies and announce new initiatives to address the road-racing contests that have long been a tradition on downstate country roads. During the Monday press conference police also are expected to give an update on the Feb. 13 case.
Sources close to the investigation told The Examiner it could be months before officials decidewhether to charge driver Darren Jamar Bullock, of Waldorf. During the pre-dawn hours, Bullock struck a crowd that had been watching a race between two other cars on Route 210.
The sources said police also are seeking another vehicle spotted by witnesses at the scene of the crash.
For many residents in Southern Maryland, the races are a way of life, with some people traveling from as far as North Carolina to participate in the underground contests.
The recent rise of illegal street racing comes as legal racing has made a comeback at Maryland International Raceway in Budds Creek, Md., about 30 miles from Bryans Road. More than 700 drivers pay $20 each on weekends to compete over quarter-mile tracks before crowds that range into the thousands.
Meanwhile, Maryland lawmakers are considering tougher penalties against street racing and new state legislation aimed at making the penalties for race spectators explicit.
Others are using the Accokeek drag racing tragedy to push for authorizingsmaller jurisdictions to use cameras to enforce speed limits.
