Maryland State Police increasing patrols, DUI checkpoints for New Year's celebrations
BALTIMORE -- The Maryland State Police will be out in full force over New Year's cracking down on impaired drivers.
Troopers from all 23 barracks will be conducting saturation patrols and checkpoints that focus on "impaired, aggressive and distracted" driving, according to a press release.
"The state police are out here today, we're out here and we're going to have saturation patrols going on this evening," said Master Trooper Hasim Johnson, with the Maryland State Police. "We're going to have DUI checkpoints, so again, we want to encourage everyone to drive sober."
AAA warns of impaired driving dangers
AAA is urging Maryland drivers to avoid impaired driving during New Year's celebrations.
New Year's Day is among the deadliest days of the year for alcohol-related traffic incidents, according to Ragina Ali, from AAA Mid-Atlantic.
"With many people celebrating the New Year and then getting behind the wheel after a night of drinking, January 1 is a hazardous day on the roads. Even one life lost from a completely preventable crime is too many," Ali said.
Ali said that simply "having a plan," if you know you will be impaired, is a good safety practice.
AAA advises holiday partygoers to designate sober drivers, use rideshare services, and never drive after drinking alcohol. The Washington Regional Alcohol Program's Holiday SoberRide campaign will operate nightly from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. through January 1, 2025.
"If you've been drinking, don't drive," Ali said. "It's really that simple."
Ali says you should not be afraid to take away the keys from a loved one or family member who is considering driving impaired. She also reminded motorists that some medications, when mixed with alcohol, can increase impairment.
"In the traffic safety world, we don't even call them accidents, we call them crashes, because they are 100% preventable," Ali said.
Master Trooper Johnson told WJZ that the best thing people can do is designate a sober driver before heading out to party.
"Driving under the influence is a choice," Johnson said. "If you decide to go outside the comforts of your own home to go to an establishment to consume some alcohol, it is a choice. Whether you have one alcoholic beverage or you have 10 alcoholic beverages, that's still a choice."
Drunk Driving in Maryland
According to AAA, Maryland saw nearly 5,500 crashes involving impaired drivers in 2023, which resulted in 132 deaths and nearly 2,500 injuries.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), December 2022 marked the highest year for drunk driving deaths in 15 years.
Maryland lawmakers took steps this year to better protect against drunk driving by making amendments to Noah's Law.
The law, which requires convicted drunk drivers to install ignition interlocks on their cars, was originally passed in 2016. It is named in honor of a Montgomery County Police officer who was hit by a drunk driver.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and other advocates, recently pushed to close loopholes in the law.
In May 2024, Governor Wes Moore signed legislation expanding the law to require those who plead guilty to drunk driving and receive probation before judgment, also to install an ignition breathalyzer interlock.
