BALTIMORE (March 22, 2010) – Local law enforcement agencies across Maryland joined forces with Maryland State Police and highway safety partners in St. Patrick’s Day impaired driving enforcement operations. The effort featuring high-visibility checkpoints and intense DUI saturation patrols pulled more than 400 drunk drivers off Maryland roadways. In total, more than 5,900 drivers were stopped during these operations, reinforcing the message for holiday revelers to designate a sober driver or seek other alternatives to drinking and driving in order to keep Maryland roadways safe.
“Local law enforcement agencies across the state made 403 impaired-driving arrests and issued another 398 citations for other traffic violations during the recent St. Patrick’s Day enforcement operations that began the weekend of March 12 -14 and continued through St. Patrick’s Day,” said Colonel George Johnson, Chief of the Department of Natural Resources Police and President of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association.
Law enforcement agencies throughout Maryland participated in this statewide effort to stop drunk drivers, and keep St. Patrick’s Day festivities a time of celebration, rather than senseless tragedy. In 2008 nationally 134 people died in St. Patrick’s Day crashes, 50 of whom were killed in traffic crashes that involved at least one driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.
“Thanks to the dedication of our law enforcement partners, Maryland roads were made safer with the removal of drunk drivers as well as other law-breakers, including those having outstanding arrest warrants, driving with suspended licenses and committing drug violations,” stated Maryland State Highway Administrator and Governor’s Highway Safety Representative Neil J. Pedersen. “This is truly a testament to traffic safety being a matter of public safety and keeping citizens and communities safe.”
These efforts were coupled with a variety of outreach activities, including the continued social norming campaign DUI is for Losers. For more information on preventing impaired driving and life saving alternatives to driving drunk visit the http://www.duiisforlosers.com/.
Source: Maryland State Highway Administration