Maryland has two drunk driving offenses:
- Driving Under the Influence
- Driving While Impaired.
Drivers under the age of 21 or drivers who hold commercial driver’s licenses are under the zero-tolerance policy. Penalties include fines, imprisonment and other civil sanctions will be imposed: points assessed against the driving record, suspension or revocation of the driver’s license, or an ignition interlock device will be installed in your car.
Alcohol checkpoints are legal in Maryland. If a police officer stops you on suspicion that you are driving while impaired, the police will request you to submit to a field sobriety test or an alcohol breath test.
When the preliminary test results show that you are impaired by alcohol, the officer will issue you an Advice of Rights. The officer will then place you under arrest, write you a ticket and require you to take the chemical blood test which will confirm the alcohol concentration in the blood. The ticket supply the date of your court appearance. If you are convicted, the following penalties may be imposed on you:
Driving While Impaired (Blood alcohol level is between 0.07 – 0.08 %)
First offense $500 fine
- Up to 2 months’ imprisonment
- 8 points against the driving record
- Driver’s license suspension up to 6 months
Second offense $500 fine
- Up to 1-year imprisonment
- 8 points against the driving record
- Driver’s license suspension from 9-12 months
Driving Under the Influence (Blood alcohol level is greater than 0.08 %)
First offense $1000 fine
- Up to 1-year imprisonment
- 12 points against the driving recor
- driver’s license revocation up to 6 months
Second offense $2000 fine
- Up to 2 years’ imprisonment
- 12 points against the driving record
- Driver’s license revocation up to 1 year
Repeat offenses
If you are convicted for a second or a third time and the repeat conviction is within 5 years of your first conviction, you will participate in the Ignition Interlock Program. You will not be able to start your car if alcohol is present in your breath.