For residents living along Route 32 in Sykesville, the death of a teenager and his mother following a crash last week was another reminder of how dangerous the roadway has become.

Residents on the two-lane stretch of road between Route 99 and the border with Carroll County say the fast-moving traffic has led to numerous close-calls. They fear being struck from behind as they turn left into their homes or struck on the side as they leave home and turn left onto Route 32, as occurred in last week's fatal collision at the intersection with River Road.

"It's gotten so much worse," said Colette Miller, 45, whose family lives in the Amberwoods development just north of River Road. "The road is not adequate to handle the amount of traffic on it."

Concerns have been heightened following the deaths of Vincent Dasung Woodward, 13, and his mother Kyong Hae "Jennifer" Kim, 51, who were killed in the June 23 crash. Woodward was pronounced dead at Howard County General Hospital following the accident and Kim died June 29 after several days at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. (See related story)

The collision occurred just after 5 p.m. when a Mazda, driven by Kim, attempted to make a left turn from River Road onto southbound Route 32 and pulled into the path of a 1997 International Flatbed tow truck traveling north.

Vincent was seated in the front passenger seat, and his sister, Jacqueline Woodward, 5, also was a passenger. She was treated at Children's Hospital and has since returned home.

The driver of the tow truck, Tymothy Thatcher, 39, of Westminster, was not injured. No charges were filed in the incident, police said.

After receiving requests from residents, the State Highway Administration said this week it plans to inspect the intersections of Route 32 and River Road and Amberwoods Way to see if there are any immediate changes that can be made to improve safety, SHA spokesman David Buck said.

An inspection will be made in the next two weeks, but more detailed traffic studies on the two areas will take place in September, when school resumes and engineers will have a better sense of typical traffic patterns, Buck said.

Possible changes could range from adding new signs or lighting to creating additional lanes or putting in new traffic signals, he said.

According to SHA statistics, there were five crashes at the intersection of River Road and Route 32 between January 2005 and the first 10 months of 2008. Two were rear-end crashes, two were side or angle crashes and one involved a vehicle striking a fixed object.

Similarly low numbers of accidents have been reported at nearby intersections: five since 2005 at Route 32 and Day Road, north of Amberwoods, and one accident since 2005 at Amberwoods Way.

Although the number of accidents is low at these intersections, Buck said SHA engineers do not look at numbers alone in determining whether changes should occur.

While tragic, the recent fatal crash does not necessarily mean a change should be made, he said. SHA wants to be sure that any changes would improve safety rather than make a situation worse, he said.

"It's not uncommon for us to get requests following crashes," Buck said. "Our engineers have to base their decisions on sound engineering principles and not on the emotional aspect of something."

'So many near-misses'

Jay Zumbrun, president of the Amberwoods home owner's association, said the community successfully petitioned the SHA to install a passing lane near the entrance to their community about eight years ago. However, the lane has a very narrow shoulder and rear-end collisions and near-misses continue to occur there, he said.

The community now wants to see a dedicated left turn lane or traffic light there, he said.

"We've had so many near-misses," he said. "People are constantly looking in their rear-view mirror."

Zumbrun said his community is reaching out to other neighborhood organizations and is planning to set up a meeting with SHA and local elected officials to discuss safety options along the roadway.

Miller's family knows first-hand about those close calls. Her 17-year-old daughter, Christie, was rear-ended June 11 while waiting to turn left into the development and her Honda Civic was totaled, Miller said, adding that her daughter escaped without serious injuries.

"We were very lucky," said Miller, whose family often goes out of their way to avoid having to turn onto Route 32. "It's frightening -- I don't want to see another family go through that."

Wayne Livesay, the former Howard County police chief who lives off of Day Road, said his community has been trying for years to get a bypass lane added to the intersection of Day Road and Route 32, to prevent rear-end collisions.

Neighbors also have a hard time turning left on to Route 32 when leaving their homes, Livesay said. "Unless someone stops and lets me out, I take a chance every time I pull out," he said.

As nearby Carroll County has continued to grow, more and more traffic travels along Route 32, he said.

Staff writer Jennifer Broadwater contributed to this story.

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