Loophole In MD Drunk Driving Law Closes Oct. 1

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A loophole in a law named after a Montgomery County police officer killed by a drunk driver closes on Oct. 1, ensuring more people convicted of driving while impaired will be required to install an ignition interlock in their cars.

On the night of Dec. 3, 2015, Officer Noah Leotta was working as a member of the Holiday Alcohol Task Force, a team of officers devoted to detecting alcohol-related offenses, when a drunk driver struck him on Rockville Pike. He died a week later.

A year later, Maryland lawmakers passed the Drunk Driving Reduction Act of 2016, also known as Noah’s Law.

Noah’s Law requires a person convicted of alcohol-related driving offenses to have an ignition interlock system installed in their vehicle. However, if an offender was given probation before judgment, they did not have to install the device.

An ignition interlock device connects a motor vehicle’s ignition system to a breath analyzer that measures a driver’s blood alcohol concentration and prevents a car from starting if it exceeds a specified legal level.

The device also records information about its use that is downloaded and sent to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration every 30 days for review.

According to the MVA, 60 percent of the more than 10,000 drunk driving offenders in 2023 received probation before judgment, resulting in 6,000 people who were not required to install an interlock system in their vehicle.

The new law signed by Gov. Wes Moore in May changes that and will require all impaired driving offenders with probation to have ignition interlocks installed in their vehicles.

State Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said the new law will "undoubtedly save the lives of Marylanders."

Highway safety advocates — including Leotta's father, Rich Leotta — also lauded the new legislation.

“Last year alone, ignition interlocks prevented more than 8,000 drunk driving incidents in Maryland. Imagine how many more will be prevented and how many more lives can be saved now that Noah’s Law is expanded to include all drunk driving offenders,” Rich Leotta said. “More than ever, Maryland is #NoahStrong.”