Enforcement this weekend will be bolstered with saturation patrols.
PIKESVILLE, Md.) — With the Super Bowl just a few days away, the Maryland State Police will be focusing on statewide impaired driving enforcement efforts during the weekend and would like to remind motorists to drive sober or get pulled over.
Enforcement this weekend will be bolstered by impaired driving saturation patrol funds from the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office. In addition, troopers will also be focusing on distracted and aggressive driving violators and seatbelt enforcement throughout the state.
The State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort Team, otherwise known as the SPIDRE team, will also be assisting in this effort this weekend. Since its inception in May 2013, the SPIDRE team has made more than 2,800 DUI arrests, 8,700 traffic stops while also issuing close to 20,000 citations and more than 4,300 warnings. The goal of the SPIDRE team is to focus on reducing alcohol related crashes in Maryland by targeting areas across the state with high crash rates involving impaired drivers.
According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, the state recorded 6,627 crashes that involved impaired drivers in 2017. These crashes led to the death of 167 people that year.
There are plenty of ways to get a safe and sober ride home. According to Maryland’s Toward Zero Deaths Program, here are six options:
· Designate a sober driver
· Use public transportation
· Call a rideshare or taxi service
· Call a friend
· Stay the night
· Be the designated driver