Despite a national decline in fatal crashes, Maryland fatalities increased between 2005 and 2006. In 2006, 101,889 motor vehicle crashes, or one every five minutes, occurred on Maryland's roadways resulting in 53,615 injuries and 652 lives lost. Over the past five years these crashes have cost Maryland residents over $44 billion.

There are more cars on the road than ever before. In 1996, vehicles traveled 45.9 billion miles. In 2006, the annual vehicle miles of travel (VMT) had increased to 56.6 billion, a twenty-three percent increase over ten years.

Maryland’s transportation network is vast and includes a total of 30,765 miles of roads. Seventeen percent of them (5,241 miles) are on the state system and 83 percent (25,524 miles) are local roadways.