Cracking down on H2Oi, Cruisin’, Ocean City pushes for stricter fines

Extreme dashing. Reckless driving. Automobile races. Tire spins. Burnouts.

That is the sort of inappropriate exercise Ocean Metropolis needs to try to weed out throughout particular occasions, particularly unsanctioned ones like H2O Worldwide.

Final 12 months, the seashore city ramped up its efforts to discourage any negligent exercise by implementing a particular occasion zone. City officers say general the zone was profitable, however extra must be completed.

To assist strengthen the particular occasion zone in Ocean Metropolis, Delegate Wayne Hartman, R-38C-Worcester, just lately launched a invoice to the Maryland Common Meeting that will enhance fines as much as $1,000 for sure driving violations.

At the moment, the upper fines solely apply to drivers who exceed the posted velocity restrict in a particular occasion zone. Final summer time, Ocean Metropolis lowered the velocity restrict to 30 miles per hour throughout occasions, equivalent to H2Oi and Limitless Summer season Cruisin’.

The issue that continues to be is that the results for different reckless driving exercise should not excessive sufficient, stated Hartman, a former Ocean Metropolis council member who handled this situation firsthand.

“I’ve personally seen this — when an individual is pulled over for reckless driving, the superb is minimal and folks on the road will take up a set to assist pay it,” Hartman stated. “So we’re hoping the upper greenback quantity will deter this.”

Background:Unofficial H2Oi weekend from the police’s eyes

Background:Ocean City’s Special Event Zone deemed success after unofficial H2Oi

How would this invoice change the particular occasion zone?

Final 12 months, the superb for negligent driving or spinning tires was solely about $50. By way of this stricter invoice, an individual convicted of any of the next violations inside a particular occasion zone could be fined as much as $1,000:

driving a motorized vehicle at a velocity exceeding the posted velocity restrict
negligent driving
driving a motorized vehicle in a race or velocity contest that doesn’t lead to severe bodily damage to a different individual
skidding, spinning of wheels or inflicting extreme noise

If authorised, these additions to the particular occasion zone would go into impact simply earlier than the Cruisin’ Ocean Metropolis occasion begins on Might 16, Hartman stated.

Delegate Charles Otto, R-38A-Somerset, has additionally signed onto the invoice in assist of a stronger particular occasion zone. The invoice may have its first listening to via the Setting and Transportation Committee within the Home on March 8 at 1 p.m.

Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, R-38-Worcester, is the lead sponsor for the opposite chamber’s model of the invoice. The Judicial Proceedings Committee will maintain the primary Senate listening to for this laws on March 5 at midday.

Public security is a severe concern

Racing vehicles or doing burnouts down Coastal Freeway is sort of like a proper of passage for the automobile fans who flood Ocean Metropolis throughout the unofficial H2Oi occasion, Mayor Rick Meehan stated throughout a current cellphone interview.

The tickets and fines folks obtain for this habits has no actual penalty or impact on them, so the results must be extra extreme, he stated.

With 1000’s of individuals coming into Ocean Metropolis for H2Oi and different occasions, the potential for pedestrian damage on account of reckless driving is a severe concern for each state and native officers.

“We’re attempting to make it in order that these occasions are secure,” Hartman stated. “The potential for a automobile dropping management and hurting somebody just isn’t unrealistic, so the thought is that if we will get higher compliance with the legislation, then we will defend the individuals who come to the occasions.”

Meehan emphasised that the purpose of this stronger particular occasion zone is to not situation extra tickets, however to give attention to public security.

Whereas the particular occasion zone invoice that handed final 12 months was useful, this proposed laws will tremendously enhance the Ocean Metropolis Police Division’s potential to maintain folks secure and implement visitors violations, Chief Ross Buzzuro stated in an electronic mail assertion.

“Now we have zero tolerance for drivers who exhibit a blatant disregard for the protection of others and with the additions included within the proposed invoice, we’re hopeful that violators will see elevated penalties sooner or later,” Buzzuro stated.

For occasions, like H2Oi, which can be unsanctioned in Ocean Metropolis, the particular occasion zone is likely one of the solely methods city officers and native legislation enforcement can management the state of affairs, Meehan stated.

Final 12 months’s unofficial H2Oi resulted in about 80 arrests from native legislation enforcement and 1000’s of {dollars} in fines. Meehan stated he is aware of the particular occasion zone was at the least partially profitable due to the complaints he obtained from individuals who had been fined.

“We have made progress and we are going to proceed to make progress,” Meehan stated. “Our purpose is to get compliance, not situation tickets, but when that’s what we have now to do, then we are going to.”