Traffic Accidents in Ocean City

As Ocean City grew through the 1960s and 1970s, so did automobile traffic. Busy summer weekends often brought thousands of visitors to the island, creating congestion on streets that had been designed decades earlier. With more vehicles came an increase in traffic accidents, requiring a constant response from the Ocean City Police Department.

Long before computerized dispatch systems, digital cameras, or in-car computers, officers investigated collisions using notebooks, measuring tapes, and Polaroid or film cameras. They interviewed drivers and witnesses, documented vehicle damage, measured skid marks, directed traffic around crash scenes, and completed handwritten accident reports that became part of the official record.

The officers photographed in this collection handled these incidents with professionalism while working to keep traffic moving and ensure the safety of residents and visitors. Their work often went unnoticed, yet it was an essential part of maintaining order during Ocean City's busiest seasons.