(Click on the image for Will Vitka's WTOP report)
- Starting Tuesday, drivers will face significantly tougher penalties and harsher jail time for killing someone while under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Maryland.
- The “Repeat Drunk Driving Offenders Act” (House Bill 707) that takes effect Oct. 1 increases the maximum jail time for those convicted of vehicular homicide while under the influence from three to five years. It also doubles prison time from five to 10 years for drivers with prior convictions.
- “The state of Maryland is throwing the book at drunk and impaired drivers who kill or maim others and the same is true for watercraft operators who kill or maim others,” AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs John Townsend said.
- Included in the law are heavier punishments for impaired drivers convicted of traveling with someone under 18 in the car: one year in jail for the first offense, two years for the second.