Sobriety Checkpoint At Key Bridge Planned

BALTIMORE, MD — A sobriety checkpoint is planned at the Key Bridge on Friday, Dec. 28. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police announced the checkpoint Friday morning.

“While the holiday season is in full swing, this is an excellent time to remind motorists to make a plan for a sober ride home,” Maryland Transportation Authority Police Chief Col. Jerry Jones said in a statement.

The checkpoint will take place Friday night at the Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695) toll plaza, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

Almost 30 percent of all fatal crashes in 2017 involved drivers with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit of .08, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of those more than 10,000 fatal crashes, officials said 885 happened in December.

At the sobriety checkpoint Friday night, officers will distribute information about laws regarding driving impaired, and those who are found driving impaired by drugs or alcohol will be arrested.

People anywhere around the country can use the Safer Ride app, sponsored by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, to locate taxi services in the area.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

Lyft is offering a SoberRide service from Friday, Dec. 14 until Monday, Dec. 31, between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., in Lyft's Washington, D.C. coverage area, which includes all or parts of Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland; Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties in Virginia, plus the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park; and the District.

SEE ALSO:

• Maryland State Police Increase Patrols For Holidays 2018
• 25 Weekend Crashes Tied To Drugs, Alcohol: MD State Police
• Free Lyft Rides Offered In Montgomery County During 2018 Holidays
• Police: 9 DUI Crashes In Baltimore County Over Weekend
• Distracted Driving Crackdown: 16 Citations Issued In Annapolis

Image via Shutterstock.