Driving drunk will now be a much costlier endeavor for Marylanders under the age of 21.
A new law that went into effect over the weekend calls for underage drivers to lose their licenses for a year, up from the past maximum of six months, if they get caught intoxicated behind the wheel.
For second-time offenders, the penalty goes up to a two-year license removal.
The change is long overdue, according to Kurt Gregory Erickson, president of a Maryland nonprofit, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, and a proponent of drunk driving legislation.
“Whereas Maryland has made tremendous progress in graduated licensing, the issue of drunk teen drivers has been virtually ignored,” he said.
And, Erickson added, teenagers driving under the influence is a big problem statewide. According to the state?s Department of Education, more than a quarter of Maryland?s high school seniors have driven with as many as four drinks in them. That figure puts the state about equal with the national average. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 28 percent of 15- to 20-year-old drivers involved in fatal car crashes last year had been drinking.
In addition to the teen-focused law adjustment, a new law also kicked into effect statewide this weekend that doubles the license suspension period for drivers arrested with a 0.15 or higher blood alcohol concentration. The mandatory suspension time will now be 90 days for a first offense and 180 for a second offense.
