Vacation Planning

July 9, 2024

Summer is in full swing, which means lots of you are hitting the open road for vacations, weekend trips, or just a quick dip in the local pool. When you are out driving, prevention is always a good idea. If you take steps to plan ahead, you can avoid dangerous breakdowns on the road.

Be sure to have your car serviced before any long trips. Changing the oil and topping off necessary fluids will help your car help you get to where you are going. The last thing you want is to be stuck on the side of a busy highway with 7 screaming kids and a dog in 103-degree heat.

Pack an emergency kit. Things like snacks, a flashlight, jumper cables and LOTS of water will all be your best friend should you find yourself stranded and waiting on help. I would avoid things like gummy bears though. They hate the heat more than you do.

Finally, take your time. Leave early and plan your trip so you don’t feel rushed. There are going to be lots and lots of other drivers sharing the road with you this summer. Don’t let frustration and aggressive driving ruin an otherwise fun vacation.

Follow these simple tips and you will be able to enjoy your time away to work on your base tan and prepare for the next great adventure: the drive back home.
Until next week, slow down, pay attention, wear your seatbelt, and drive safely.

HCSO Main Line – 410.838.6600
Northern Precinct – 410.692.7880
Southern Precinct – 410.612.1717
HCSO Traffic Unit – 443.409.3324
traffictiptuesday@harfordsheriff.org

Cool Tips for Travelling with Your Pets

June 25, 2024

Hot Dog, was it ever hot last weekend! It seems like summer is here in full force. While the oppressive heat can be managed in many cases with a strong dose of air conditioning and an ice-cold beverage, it isn’t so easy for our four-legged friends. Dogs and cats are especially susceptible to extreme weather. Here are a couple of COOL tips for travelling with your pets.

No matter what the outside temperature is, you should never leave your dog (or cat, or ferret, or hamster, or llama) in an unattended vehicle. The inside of a car can heat up very quickly, which can result in terrible consequences for your poor four legged friend. In fact, Harford County Code Section 64-20 says “No person shall leave any animal unattended in a motor vehicle when the temperature 70° F., except the Sheriff, a police K-9 officer, or within any vehicle equipped with a safety climate control system designed for animal transport.” Not only could this land you a criminal citation for animal cruelty, you could also be charged with a traffic citation for “endangering the health, safety, and welfare of a cat or dog by leaving them in an unattended motor vehicle.” This carries a seventy dollar fine.

“But Sergeant Eaton…I am just running into the store for a second and I always leave the air conditioning on so Bruno doesn’t get too hot.” Not so fast! Maryland Transportation article forbids leaving an unattended vehicle running. This one also carries a fine of seventy dollars plus one point against your driving record.

Believe me when I tell you, there is nothing I love more than putting my dogs (Winston and Kate) in the car, strapping on their doggie seatbelts and hitting the open road. However, if we are going someplace that doesn’t allow dogs (which should itself be a crime), it is better to just leave them at home.

Until next week, slow down, pay attention, wear your seatbelt, and drive safely.
HCSO Main Line – 410.838.6600
Northern Precinct – 410.692.7880
Southern Precinct – 410.612.1717
HCSO Traffic Unit – 443.409.3324
traffictiptuesday@harfordsheriff.org

Border to Border

June 11, 2024

Earlier today, The Harford County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit, along with a few members of patrol and one Maryland State Trooper, participated in a “Border to Border” seatbelt channelization detail. You are probably asking yourself, “what is seatbelt channelization?” “Was it effective?” “Did the Trooper look handsome in his Stetson hat?” Let me offer some insight.

We call the event “Border to Border,” because we worked at the county Line in conjunction with the Baltimore County Police Department.

Officers and Deputies on each side of the county line targeted motorists who were either not wearing a seatbelt or driving distracted. This certainly doesn’t mean we ignored other moving violations. Just that distracted driving and seatbelt misuse were the main goals. As far as the effectiveness of the detail, the numbers speak for themselves. In just four hours, eleven Law Enforcement Officer made 81 traffic stops, issued 49 citations, 49 warnings, and 5 safety equipment repair orders. One of the best parts of the detail is that the funding came from a grant provided by the Maryland Highway Safety Office. It is details like this one that allow the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and our allied partners to work toward zero deaths on Maryland roadways.

As the summer heats up, and more and more drivers take to the road, you can expect to see officers working traffic enforcement details just like this to help keep everyone safe. Be sure you are following the rules of the road and wearing your seatbelt on every trip, because it won’t matter how handsome the Stetson hat is if the officer wearing it is issuing you a citation.

Until next week, slow down, pay attention, wear your seatbelt, and drive safely.
HCSO Main Line – 410.838.6600
Northern Precinct – 410.692.7880
Southern Precinct – 410.612.1717
HCSO Traffic Unit – 443.409.3324
traffictiptuesday@harfordsheriff.org

More on DUI Checkpoints

May 28, 2024

Welcome to part three of our series: “Everything I Ever Wanted to Know About DUI Checkpoints.” Last Friday, members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office conducted a DUI checkpoint detail just outside of Bel Air. As I mentioned in the previous two #traffictiptuesday posts, the focus of a checkpoint is public education. Yes, we had Deputies out patrolling for impaired drivers. Yes, we made a few arrests that night, but in the end, the education we were able to provide the motoring public was a tremendous success.

In just under two hours, Sheriff’s Office Deputies made contact with 466 vehicles. Many of these had multiple occupants. This means that over 500 people travelling on our roadways had the opportunity to meet a Deputy and receive information about the dangers of impaired driving. Each driver was given a brochure that had information about DUI checkpoints, a link to the zerodeathsmd.com website, and statistics related to impaired driving. For example, over the past 5 years, more than 800 Marylanders were killed in impaired driving crashes. Not only were there no impaired driving crashes the night of the checkpoint, we also were able to confirm that every driver who came through the checkpoint was doing so without being impaired by drugs or alcohol.

For those that think we could have done more, let me tell you, we did! Deputies working DUI Saturation patrols during the checkpoint made 56 traffic stops. They issued 40 warnings and 51 citations for various driving infractions. In addition to this, three drivers were arrested. We also removed several suspended drivers from the roadway. All in all, not a bad night.

Now that the checkpoint is finished, our work is far from over. We have multiple DUI patrols scheduled throughout the summer as we work toward zero deaths on Maryland roadways.

Until next week, slow down, pay attention, wear your seatbelt, and drive safely.

HCSO Main Line – 410.838.6600
Northern Precinct – 410.692.7880
Southern Precinct – 410.612.1717
HCSO Traffic Unit – 443.409.3324
traffictiptuesday@harfordsheriff.org