DUI arrests in Maryland surged in 2015, and 2016 isn’t looking much better; almost 100 arrests have been made in the first few weeks of the year. With some of the weakest drunk driving laws in the country, activists are fighting to pass stiffer penalties for Maryland offenders.

In 2014, there were approximately 450 arrests for drunk driving in Maryland while in 2015, there were over 550 arrests for drunk driving in the state.

A Call for Harsher Penalties

In December 2014, a Montgomery County police officer was hit by an alleged drunk driver while working as part of a drunk driving task force aiming to halt impaired driving. He passed away as a result of the accident. The unfortunate death of the officer has shed light on the state’s weak drunk driving penalties.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) activists are calling for harsher drunk driving legislation to be passed. MADD activists want laws to be passed that would order the installation of ignition interlock devices on the vehicles of those convicted of DUI offenses, including first-time offenders. Such devices have been proven to reduce drunk driving fatalities by up to 46.7 percent.

Devastating DUI Accident

On the morning of Jan. 14, 2016, a driver with a prior DUI conviction slammed into another vehicle on Route 202. This accident led to a devastating nine-car pileup, resulting in one fatality and three injuries. The driver had a suspended license, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest after he failed to attend a hearing for his 2014 DUI charge; the man was taken into police custody following his release from the hospital where his accident injuries were treated. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Drunk drivers need to be held accountable for the destruction they cause. The Silver Spring car accident lawyers at Goldberg Finnegan will work diligently to achieve justice for you, and fight to recover the compensation you deserve.