Maryland’s General Assembly session came to a close
at midnight last night, and before that deadline, Noah’s
law received approval from both the House and Senate. We previously blogged on this proposed bill a
few months ago when it initially debuted in response to a drunk driver hitting
and killing Officer Noah Leotta of Montgomery County. Under Noah’s law, Maryland would now join
most other states in requiring the installation of an ignition interlock device
for all DUI offenders. Currently, the
device is only required to be installed for repeat DUI offenders and those with
excessive blood alcohol levels.
Numerous
studies have been conducted that show the benefits of requiring an interlock
device for all DUI offenders. In states
with this requirement already in place, there were thousands of people who were
stopped from being able to start their car because they were attempting to
drive drunk. That means that the
interlock devices likely saved many lives by keeping these drunk drivers off the
road. Many first-time offenders end up
driving drunk again because they did not face any serious consequences for
their first offense. If an interlock
device was required, it would prevent these people from being able to start
their car with any amount of alcohol in their system.
Governor
Hogan is expected to sign this bill into law, which would effectively end the
slap-on-the-wrist mentality in Maryland for first time DUI offenders. This law will likely take effect October 1st
or January 1st. When this
happens, it will be even more important to hire an experienced Maryland DUI
attorney to handle your case and limit the consequences as much as possible.
Anybody who is thinking
about drinking and driving should remember, that not only are they putting
their own life at risk, they are putting the lives of innocent people at
risk. In addition, there are more
serious consequences they will have to face with an interlock device required
to be installed. There are significant
costs associated with the installation of interlock devices, including the
initial fees and the monthly maintenance fees.
You can avoid all of these things by just getting an Uber, Lyft, or taxi
to drive you home.
If you
or a family member has been charged with an alcohol-related offense in Maryland
and would like a free legal consultation or if you would like more information
on these types of offenses please feel free to contact our office at
(301) 854-9000 and schedule an appointment at our office in Columbia
or throughout Maryland, or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Criminal-Defense/DWI-DUI/
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