SHA Hosts Free Community Truck or Treat, Touch a Truck Event in Hanover
HANOVER, MD (September 29, 2026) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration will host Truck or Treat: Meet Maryland’s Highway Heroes, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, October 17. This free, family-friendly, outdoor event will offer seasonal fun, hands-on activities, educational experiences and safety resources for all ages and will take place at the State Highway Administration’s Hanover Complex at 7491 Connelley Drive in Hanover.
The public is invited to meet some of Maryland’s front-line crash response heroes, including members of State Highway Administration’s Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) and responders representing fire and rescue, towing and police and explore their vehicles and equipment. Although optional, children are encouraged to come in costume and can collect treats from the responders.
The festive event is a precursor to Crash Responder Safety Week, a national event being held November 2-6 to bring attention to traffic incident responder safety and the important role motorists have in keeping responders safe as they perform their life-saving work.
“This is the third year the State Highway Administration has hosted a safety event prior to Crash Responder Safety Week to raise awareness about the dangers responders face at crash scenes and traffic incidents along Maryland’s roadways,” said State Highway Administrator Will Pines. “This family event gives people of all ages an opportunity to learn about the vital, often dangerous work responders perform every day in all weather conditions to come to our aide and keep our roadways cleared and safe.”
The event also will display a Proclamation from Governor Wes Moore recognizing Maryland’s commemoration of November 2-6 as Crash Responder Safety Week and reaffirming the Moore-Miller administration’s commitment to responder safety. The Proclamation reminds Marylanders that first responders serve citizens “with unwavering dedication, responding day and night throughout the year, often in hazardous conditions and in close proximity to moving traffic.”
Activities offered at the event include:
- meeting crash responders and making thank you cards;
- exploring responder vehicles including a Maryland State Police medevac helicopter;
- truck or treating with crash responders;
- decorating pumpkins;
- playing games (traffic cone ring toss, candy corn bowling, fire helmet shuffle);
- navigating mobile roadways of Safety Town on bikes, trikes and scooters, and learning about traffic signs, signals and safe pedestrian behavior; driving a remote-controlled safety vehicle; and
- visiting the State Highway’s Statewide Operations Center, which monitors traffic across Maryland 24/7.
Safety resources including information on car seat safety and driving sober will be offered at no cost, and demonstrations on seatbelt safety, CPR and choking relief techniques will take place. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Free truck or treat bags will be distributed to children at the welcome table while supplies last.
During Crash Responder Safety Week, Maryland joins with national associations, state departments of transportation and public safety, responders and others to recognize and promote safety as the highest priority for emergency responders.
“Every motorist has a duty when behind the wheel to help reduce roadway dangers by obeying posted speed limits and speed limits appropriate for roadway conditions, driving sober, remaining alert, eliminating distractions and adhering to Maryland’s Move Over law,” reads Governor Moore’s Proclamation.
Partnering agencies participating in Truck or Treat: Meet Maryland’s Highway Heroes include AAA Mid-Atlantic, Anne Arundel County Fire Department, BB&T Towing, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport Fire and Rescue Department, Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firefighters Association, Maryland Department of Health, Drive Smart Maryland, Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Highway Safety Office, Maryland State Police, Maryland Transit Administration, Maryland Transit Administration Police, Maryland Transportation Authority, MDTA Police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
For more information on Truck a Treat: Meet Maryland’s Highway Heroes, visit roads.maryland.gov, and click on the event web banner or click here.
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