Drunk Driving DUI Law

MADD is integral in implementing a number of DUI legislation changes nationwide each year, and now the group is saying Maryland did not go far enough to increase legislation in a recent review.

Maryland formed a special task force under the General Assembly to address the drunk driving problems in the state. Mostly, the group was to consider whether the current laws are inadequate, as many anti-DUI activists have been claiming. The review by the task force resulted in 40 recommendations, some of which were signed into law by Governor Martin O’Malley this year.

However, MADD is saying the recommendations were not followed completely, and the Governor did not go far enough to make changes. MADD would like to see an ignition interlock mandate for all offenders in Maryland, in keeping with its push for these devices nationwide. The group is also supportive of vehicle impounds, though this bill is not likely to pass due to lack of additional supporters.

Adding to their arguments, MADD is using the death of a Johns Hopkins University student who was only 20 at the time of an accident. A man charged in connection with the accident, Thomas Meighan, Jr., has 8 prior offenses in Maryland. He claims he was not driving that night but lent his vehicle to a friend. He has not been charged with the DUI death. Meighan has had license suspensions assessed against him; he has also been forced to use an ignition device in the past. The question of whether he was driving that night remains unanswered in the minds of many. They blame the ability for this man to have a car and a license for the death of the student.

About 200 people die in Maryland each year from alcohol related accidents. This number has not decreased or increased significantly in a decade. It is not the number of deaths that is a problem for MADD, though, a group who says even 1 is too many.

They point to laws they say are simply not tough enough for failing to reduce these deaths. Maryland laws can send first-time offenders to jail for up to one year. They also face penalties up to $1,000. Repeat offenders face up to 3 years and $3,000 if they have more than two convictions already.

Maryland passed a bill requiring ignition interlocks in one house of its legislature earlier this year. It failed to pass in the other house, however, and the bill died there. The bill may be considered again, but there are obvious flaws according to a number of representatives who cannot support the bill as it stands today.

They say it does not adequately address issues like those who have DUI offenses in other states, a problem for a number of legislators since states enforce different laws. It also does not address the current law that allows a person to receive a probationary period in lieu of a jail sentence on a first offense. This law would be in conflict with the new law, making it virtually impossible for both to stand and be enforced.

Source: MADD pushes for tougher DUI laws in Maryland