Last month, Officer Noah Leotta of the Montgomery
County Police was on patrol when he was tragically killed by a drunk driver who
had several prior DUI convictions. We
blogged about the public outrage that followed regarding Maryland’s weak
DUI laws. Maryland lawmakers, Delegate
Ben Kramer and Senator Jamie Raskin, have responded to the public’s concerns
with a draft of a new bill called “Noah’s
Law,” which would strengthen Maryland’s penalties for DUI. If passed, the law will require all convicted
drunk drivers to have an ignition interlock system installed on their vehicles,
even first time offenders.
As
Maryland law currently stands, ignition interlock systems are required for
drunk drivers who either refuse to take the breathalyzer test or take the test
with a result of 0.15 or more. Offenders
with a blood alcohol content between .08 and .14 are eligible for a restricted
license to go to school and work, however, they are not required to install an
interlock device. The new law would
apply to all offenders with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.
The
proponents of the law argue that Officer Leotta’s death could have been
prevented by a stricter ignition interlock law, given that the driver who
struck him had numerous prior DUI offenses.
The federal Center for Disease Control (CDC) has also advocated for
stronger ignition interlock laws, stating that repeat DUI offenses are reduced
by 70% when interlocks are in use.
If you or a family
member has been charged with DUI or DWI in Maryland and would like a free legal
consultation or if you would like more information on DUI or
DWI please feel free to contact our office at (301) 854-9000 and schedule an
appointment at our office in Rockville or
throughout Maryland, or visit us on the web at http://www.portnerandshure.com/Criminal-Defense/DWI-DUI/
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