Glen Burnie Dangerous Intersections

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Glen Burnie is an underrated sized market in Maryland.  It is more of a zip code than it is a town.  But it is a big zip code – codes actually – that has a lot of dangerous interactions that cause too many injuries and deaths.

Most Hazardous Intersections in Glen Burnie

The Glen Burnie car accident lawyers at Miller & Zois handle a high volume of auto accident cases in the Baltimore area. This gives us a unique perspective on what the more dangerous roads and intersections are in the Baltimore region. In this post, we will focus on auto accidents in the Glen Burnie area of Anne Arundel County and rank the most hazardous intersections in Glen Burnie.

Roads and Vehicle Traffic in Glen Burnie

Glen Burnie is a large unincorporated area in northern Anne Arundel County which includes 2 zip codes (21060 and 21062). Although Glen Burnie does not have clearly defined boundaries, the center of what the post office considers Glen Burnie is the intersection of Crain Highway and Central Avenue. With approximately 75,000 residents Glen Burnie is a densely populated suburban area with a very high level of traffic volume and congestion (at least before COVID).

One thing that makes Glen Burnie unique is the roads and highways that run through the area. Glen Burnie features two major interstate highways. I-97 runs north-south between Annapolis and Glen Burnie where it joins into the Baltimore Beltway (I-695). There are also several major state highways and secondary roads running through Glen Burnie including Ritchie Highway, Crain Highway, and Route 100. These main roads and highways make Glen Burnie host to an incredibly high volume of vehicle traffic as residents commute into and out of Baltimore.

Auto Accidents in Glen Burnie

With its complex and densely traveled web of highways and secondary roads, Glen Burnie can be a hazardous place for vehicle traffic. According to Anne Arundel County accident statistics (AA County Office of Trans.), nearly 30% of all auto accidents in the County occur in the Glen Burnie cluster. In 2018 there were 8,843 police-reported auto accidents in Glen Burnie which accounted for 29% of ALL accidents in the County. This was more than double the number of accidents reported in Annapolis, Severn and Crofton combined.

  • The Patch on the most dangerous roads in Glen Burnie

Most Dangerous Intersections & Roads in Glen Burnie

Below is a list of what we believe are the most dangerous intersections and roads for auto accidents in Glen Burnie. This list is based on accident data published by the Anne Arundel County Office of Transportation and our firm’s anecdotal experience as Glen Burnie accident attorneys.

  • Interstate 97: I-97 is a massive highway (4-5 lanes wide in some stretches) that runs about 18 miles from Route 50 in Annapolis to the Baltimore Beltway in Glen Burnie. The reason I-97 comes in at the top of this list is that it has one of the highest fatalities per mile rate of any road in the country. As of 2019, I-97 had an average rate of traffic fatalities per mile of 0.79. This means that 97 averages almost 1 death per mile every year. This is one of the highest rates in the U.S., ranking 97 as one of the 30 most perilous roads in America. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has driven on 97 during rush hour. Aside from the massive volume of vehicle (which can be crazy), what makes the flow of traffic on 97 so unique and hazardous is that vehicles get on and off very frequently on one of the many exists rather than travel the whole length of the highway.
  • Ritchie Highway & Baltimore Annapolis Blvd.: the intersection of Ritchie Highway and Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. is a dangerous mess on numerous levels. For starters, the Maryland District Court in Glen Burnie is located at this intersection so you have lots of unsure drivers coming thru all day. What makes this junction worse is that it is one of those awkward diagonal intersections. It is hardly surprising to see that this intersection had one of the highest accident rates in recent years.
  • 97 and Quarterfield Road: According to the AA County Office of Transportation, the interchange between 97 and Quarterfield Road has accounted for the most accidents by volume of any intersection in Glen Burnie. This is mostly the result of volume. The north side of Quarterfield Road has become a major commercial hub in Glen Burnie (with a Walmart, Sam’s Club, and various other big retailers located right at the intersection) and there is a large neighborhood on the south side of the road. The net result is a lot of cars coming on and off the highway.
  • Ritchie Highway: Governor Ritchie Highway is actually not a “highway” but rather a very busy, very hectic local road clogged with traffic lights and flanked by innumerable shopping centers, big box stores, gas stations, and more. Ritchie Highway features two lanes of northbound traffic and two lanes of southbound traffic separated by a median. 2 primary traffic hazards cause Ritchie Highway to generate an endless stream of accidents. The first is left-turning vehicles trying to traverse busy opposite traffic. The second is cars pulling out of the many parking lots or side roads that spill onto Ritchie Hwy with no traffic signals.

Glen Burnie Personal Injury Lawyers

If you need a personal injury lawyer in Glen Burnie MD contact Miller & Zois today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.