With Labor Day weekend fast approaching, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) announced that several states will be launching drunk driving prevention and law enforcement initiatives — including Maryland.
Maryland’s efforts to deter deadly drunk driving accidents over Labor Day weekend and beyond include…
o Checkpoint Strikeforce: The Maryland Highway Safety Office’s six-month impaired driving enforcement and education program, which kicks off Aug. 24 in Baltimore.
o Maryland Safe Ride Solutions: Part of a national initiative designed to prevent drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel by offering ride alternatives (in Baltimore and Landover).
o Nearly 75 % of Maryland law enforcement jurisdictions are participating in the statewide drunk driving traffic accident crackdown: 25 Maryland police departments will conduct 176 enforcement operations — 150 saturation patrols and 26 sobriety checkpoints.
Baltimore, Maryland traffic injury attorneys see first-hand the damage and heartache that families suffer when someone gets behind the wheel after a few beers or cocktails. Maryland had more than 25,000 DUI arrests in 2006 and over 3,000 impaired driving crashes with injuries — amounting to more than 5,000 injuries and 268 impaired driving deaths (Source: Checkpoint Strikeforce 2007 Factsheet.)
Even well-intentioned people celebrating Labor Day Weekend in Maryland — at a family cookout or a night out on the town in Baltimore — can make a deadly mistake if they drink and drive. Let’s all end the summer on a happy and safe note.
Checkpoint Strikeforce 2007 Factsheet
Related Web Resources
Maryland Highway Safety Laws
GHSA August 2010
Safe Ride Solutions