(The Center Square) — Maryland traffic fatalities in 2023 reached a level they haven’t seen in more than 15 years, up 31% from where they were 10 years ago. Nationally, traffic fatalities increased during the pandemic but are now trending slightly downward, though they’re up 25% from 2013. There were 610 traffic deaths in the Old Line State in 2023, up 46 from the previous year, according to a recent report by TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. Similarly, in 2020, nearly 40 more people were killed in car accidents than in the previous year. Prior to 2020, Maryland’s numbers we…