They say it’s best to make other arrangements to get home.
Frederick, Md (KM) The upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend means a lot of cookouts, picnics and other events where alcoholic beverages could be served. If you are planning to drink, Corporal Nathan Rector with the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office says make arrangements to get home safely, such as having a designated driver, calling a taxi, or using a ride-sharing service such as Uber or Lyft.
“There are so many ways with ride-sharing, with taxis, with designated drivers,” he says. “You start to become impaired with your very first drink. So if you plan on drinking at all, please make that plan ahead of time. It’s not worth it.”
Corporal Rector, whose doing DUI enforcement for many years, acknowledges that some people who only had one drink might be able to drive home without any problems. But why risk it. “In my DUI career, the person who said he had one drink forgot about the other three,:” he says. “So if you’re planning on drinking at all, don’t drive, even if you had just one.”
Alcohol and excessive speed are believed to be factors in a one-vehicle crash along Old National Pike (Rt. 144) near Sidney Road early Sunday morning which sent four people to University of Maryland Shock Trauma. All of them have been rele3ased form the hospital.
Corporal Rector says if you’re hosting a cookout, barbecue, picnic or party this holiday weekend where alcohol is being served, make sure your guests have made arrangements to get home safely. “Make sure that those that come have a plan,” he says. “If you’re putting this out over social media or you’re sending out a text, send out a little reminder in the text.. ‘Hey, remember to get a sober driver.’ ‘Hey, I will help you get an Uber if you need it.’ If you’re going to host a party, it doesn’t cost that much more for you to provide an Uber for your friends, right?”
If you are caught driving while impaired, you could face some serious penalties. “So there’s clearly jail time; lots of fines. . Plus you’re going to have lots of court costs. You’re going to have attorneys’ fees,” says Corporal Rector. “And that’s only the court side of it. You have a whole other side when you’re talking about the MVA {Motor Vehicle Administration}. You’re going to have MVA hearings. Your license could be suspended.”
And the penalties are more serious if you’re involved in a vehicle crash which leads to injuries or deaths. “There could be civil fines and civil costs if a crash is involved and somebody is hurt. Your costs could range from jail to ten years if this is a multiple DUI offense. Or many, many thousands of dollars.” Corporal Rector says.
In the end, he says driving while impaired is not worth the risk.
By Kevin McManus