Here's How MD DUI Rates Rank Nationally

MARYLAND — A well-established national drug testing company recently published a comprehensive ranking of the states according to the rates of drunken driving, and Maryland finished in the middle of the pack.

The findings were based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Transportation and FBI crime reports.

Maryland ranked 27th overall for drunken driving rates in 2018, with 308.7 DUI-related arrests per 100,000 people.

Other metrics cited in the report showed our state has:

• Short-term rate change in DUI arrest rate: 20 percent decrease from 2014-2018
• Long-term rate change in DUI arrest rate: 24.4 percent decrease from 2009-2018

In the 10-year span from 2009 to 2018, Maryland peaked in 2019 with 385.6 arrests for every 100,000 people.

The United States overall has seen the population-adjusted rate of drunken driving arrests fall by more than 35 percent since 2009. Only three states — Delaware, Washington and North Dakota — recorded an increase in DUI arrests from 2009 to 2018.

Maryland DUI Laws

If you test above the legal limit for alcohol (0.08 BAC), or refuse an officer's request to submit to a chemical test for alcohol or drug use, you will be issued an Order of Suspension (form #DR-015A) along with your traffic citation(s). The police officer will confiscate your Maryland driver's license and may issue you a 45-day temporary paper license.

For more information visit, see Alcohol Test Failure or Refusal.

If you were operating a commercial vehicle or are a commercial driver license holder at the time of your stop, you are also subject to the disqualification of your commercial driving status. For more information about penalties for commercial license drivers and operators of commercial vehicles, also see the Commercial Driver's License Manual.

Impaired Driving Convictions In MD

If you are convicted of an impaired driving offense, you face both criminal penalties and license sanctions.

If you are convicted of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol:

• For a first offense, you face up to a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail. Twelve (12) points will be assessed on your driving record and your license may be revoked for up to six (6) months.
• For a second offense, you face a $2,000 fine and up to two years imprisonment (with a mandatory minimum of five days). Twelve (12) points will be assessed on your license and your license may be revoked for up to one year.
• For two convictions within five years, a mandatory period of suspension will be followed by a minimum required period of participation in the Ignition Interlock Program.
• You may be required to participate in an alcohol abuse assessment and program.

If you are convicted of Driving while Impaired by Alcohol (DWI):

• For a first offense, you face up to a $500 fine and up to two months imprisonment. Eight (8) points will be assessed on your driving record, and you face a 6-month license suspension. If this conviction is the result of a driver under 21, you will face a 1-year suspension.
• For a second DWI offense, you face up to a $500 fine and up to one year imprisonment. Eight (8) points will be assessed on your driving record, and you face a license suspension of 9 to 12 months. If this conviction is the result of a driver under 21, you will face a 2-year suspension.

The penalties are substantially higher if you are transporting a minor at the time of the offense or for a third offense.

Adults in the United States participate in close to 130 million examples of drunken driving every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thirty Americans are killed in drunken driving incidents every day, according to U.S. Drug Test Centers.

South Dakota ranked as the state with the most DUI incidents during 2018, the researchers found, followed by North Dakota and Wyoming.

The state with the lowest drunken driving rate in the nation? That commendable distinction went to Delaware, with 44.3 DUI arrests per 100,000 people. The other bottom five states with the lowest rates for drunken driving arrests were Illinois, Massachusetts, Louisiana and Florida.

Men are far more likely than women to be arrested on drunken driving charges, as males accounted for nearly three in four DUI arrests in 2018, according to U.S. Drug Test Centers. Additionally, whites accounted for 81.2 percent of DUI arrests in 2018, according to the report.

Here are the 10 states with the highest rates of DUI arrests in 2018:

1. South Dakota: 721.9 arrests per 100,000 people
2. North Dakota: 678.4 arrests per 100,000 people
3. Wyoming: 676.1 arrests per 100,000 people
4. North Carolina: 518.8 arrests per 100,000 people
5. Mississippi: 462.2 arrests per 100,000 people
6. New Mexico: 459.7 arrests per 100,000 people
7. Maine: 434.2 arrests per 100,000 people
8. Washington: 430.2 arrests per 100,000 people
9. Alaska: 429.2 arrests per 100,000 people
10. Wisconsin: 425.3 arrests per 100,000 people

The full report on drunken driving in the United States is available at USDrugTestCenters.com.