To address the seemingly intractable problem of fatalities related to drunken or impaired driving in Maryland, the General Assembly convened a task force to review what some advocates had long complained were inadequate laws.
Their 18-month review resulted in more than 40 recommendations addressing public education, law enforcement, treatment initiatives and the law. The legislative proposals were incorporated into Gov. Martin O'Malley's agenda this year, and many were enacted.
But advocates such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program say more must be done, and they complain that some key bills this year were watered down.
MADD plans to push next year for legislation mandating ignition interlock devices for those convicted of driving under the influence, even first-time offenders. Drivers must breathe into the device and produce a sober result to start their cars.
Other states, including Pennsylvania and Virginia, have enacted laws that allow for vehicles or license plates to be seized from repeat offenders, though such proposals haven't gained traction in Maryland.
"Our laws are piecemeal, and they're not strong enough," said Caroline Cash, executive director of the Maryland chapter of MADD. "We have the technology right in front of us to make drunk driving a thing of the past."
The recent hit-and-run death of a 20-year-old Johns Hopkins University student is expected to bolster support for tougher laws.
Thomas L. Meighan Jr., who has eight drunken-driving convictions in Maryland, has been charged with traffic offenses in connection with the Oct. 16 collision. Meighan, who says he lent his vehicle to a friend and was not the driver who hit Miriam Frankl, has not been charged with drunken driving in the Oct. 16 case.
Meighan's license has been suspended or revoked repeatedly, and he has been under the ignition interlock program in the past.
An average of 220 people died annually in Maryland between 2004 and 2007 in crashes related to drunken or impaired drivers, according to the task force, which noted the number of deaths has remained at a certain level in a "plateau effect."
In general under Maryland law, first-time DUI offenders face up to one year in prison and fines up to $1,000. Those with three or more convictions face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $3,000.
