Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run on Indian Head Highway

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - A pedestrian was hit and killed on Prince George’s County’s Indian Head Highway Friday night. 

Police say a woman was walking at the intersection of Indian Head Highway and Farmington Road just before 10:00 p.m. Friday night when she was hit. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver did not stay. The investigation is ongoing.

The stretch of road where the incident occurred is informally known as the Highway of Death. 

The Maryland 210 Traffic Safety Committee is a group dedicated to making this stretch of road safer and they say speed is the biggest issue they need help curbing.

According to their data, of the 80,000 vehicles per day that travel this road, speed cameras have clocked over 100 per day going over 100 miles per hour.

Ron Weiss is on the Maryland 210 Traffic Safety Committee, which has tried unsuccessfully in the last few years to raise the fines for vehicles caught speeding by cameras. That would require passage in the legislature.

Currently, whether you’re going 15 or 115 MPH over, it’s a $40 ticket if caught by a speed camera.

"We’re trying to change driver behavior. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to make the road safe. We’re trying to save lives, and we’re trying to get these egregious speeders to slow down or get off the road," said Weiss. "It’s our main street. All the people here put their lives at risk on 210 and we shouldn’t have to. We should feel safe on our highway."

The Maryland 210 Traffic Safety Committee is hoping for a tiered system: The faster a driver goes over the speed limit, the larger the fine. They’ve been fighting for this change to Maryland law for years now.