Maryland DUI Checkpoint
On the night of July 27, 2012, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested several drivers after setting up a checkpoint at the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge. The checkpoint was set up with the goal of education drivers on the penalties of driving drunk as well as enforcing traffic safety. While there were no arrests made from the checkpoint itself, several arrest were made by officers assigned to a saturation patrol near the checkpoint.
503 vehicles passed through the checkpoint and officers arrested 2 drivers for Driving Under the Influence(DUI) in addition to one warrant arrest and one traffic arrest. Police say that one of the 2 arrests for DUI involved a juvenile. Maryland Police continue to use these checkpoints as a way to prevent drunk driving accidents and protect drivers with relative success. According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, driver’s aged 15 to 20 are at the highest risk for fatal crashes involving alcohol. In fact, 70% of crashes in this age group involved the use of alcohol. These young drivers do only about 20% of their driving at night but account for 50% of nighttime fatalities with 20% of those crashes alcohol related.
If you or someone you know has been arrested for drunk driving in Maryland, contact an experienced and skilled Maryland DUI lawyer.
