Impaired Driving Enforcement To Increase By MDTA Police

The Maryland Transportation Authority will be on the lookout for impaired drivers over the holidays. The agency announced it will be out in force conducting high-visibility patrols from Friday, Dec. 22, to Sunday, Dec. 31.

Maryland Transportation Authority Police officers patrol highways, bridges and tunnels as well as the Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport and the Port of Baltimore.

This year so far, Maryland Transportation Authority Police have arrested 944 impaired drivers.

"We remind motorists to be safe during their celebrations and plan ahead," Maryland Transportation Authority Police Chief Colonel Jerry Jones said in a statement.

The legal blood alcohol limit for drivers in Maryland is .08.

Approximately 28 percent of fatal crashes involved a driver whose blood alcohol level was .08 or higher during the month of December from 2012 to 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Police encourage those who plan on drinking alcohol to designate a sober, use a ride-sharing service, call a taxi or take public transportation.

The Safer Ride app, which is sponsored by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, can also be used to pull up taxi services in the area.

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Image via MDTA.