OCEAN CITY, Md. - Thousands of car enthusiasts are expected to roll into Ocean City for Endless Summer Cruisin, but town officials say they are preparing to crack down on unsafe driving after problems at other automotive events this year.
Ocean City’s Motor Event Task Force met last week to review the town’s major automotive events from the season. The task force was created in 2017 following issues surrounding H2Oi and other large car gatherings.
The review comes after a deadly crash on 37th Street during OC Rock N Ride. According to the town, traffic stops and calls for service during the event reached a five-year high.
Some Ocean City business owners say the problems associated with large car events have also taken a financial toll.
“This has been increasingly getting worse for the past, I would say, three years, four years,” says Mickie Meinhardt, owner of The Buzzed Word, a book and wine shop near 120th Street.
Meinhardt said her business and others have opted to close early during some car events because congestion and crowds make it difficult for customers to reach them.
“It’s a huge loss of revenue for us,” Meinhardt says. “Because there are people in town who booked stays in Ocean City that are not here for those events, and they can’t come to my shop. I mean, even if I stayed open, they wouldn’t be able to get here.”
Ocean City police have begun working directly with businesses ahead of large crowds.
“It really touched me that the OCPD reached out to us knowing we’ve had significant issues here,” Meinhardt says.
As Endless Summer Cruisin approaches, the town says strict enforcement will be a priority, including towing vehicles deemed unsafe.
Car enthusiasts like Mike DiGiorgio say they also want reckless drivers held accountable without allowing the actions of a few to jeopardize an event enjoyed by generations of visitors.
“It’s probably one of the best car events that you can go to,” DiGiorgio says. “Don’t act like idiots.”
Enthusiasts say Coastal Highway is not the place for reckless behavior and warn that continued problems could eventually threaten the future of automotive events in Ocean City.
“There’s a place and a time for everything, and Coastal Highway is not the place,” DiGiorgio says. “That way we can keep coming down here. Everybody has a good time. You’ve got generations people bring their kids down.”
As thousands of horsepower hit Coastal Highway, Ocean City is drawing a line between cruising and chaos.
