By Tyler Ruth ’16

In December of 2015, Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta, a Class of 2009 Sherwood graduate, was participating in the annual Holiday Alcohol Task Force. He pulled over a car and mere moments later, a drunk driver in a Honda CRV crashed into him and his cruiser. He died seven days later. The driver, Luis Reluzco, was indicted on multiple charges including manslaughter and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

Leotta’s story is sadly not a unique one, as last year in Montgomery County alone, 16 police cruisers were struck by drunk drivers. As a result, the Maryland legislature is introducing a new bill, named Noah’s Law, which aims to tighten up the relatively lax drunk driving laws of Maryland.

The driver that killed Leotta had been convicted of drunk driving twice before in 1988 and 1990. Noah’s Law aims to not let drunk drivers get back on the road and commit the same crime again. The law would require ignition interlocks in car breathalyzers to be installed for all drunk drivers, even if the driver in question is a first-time offender. The breathalyzer would remain attached to the car for at least six months and possibly more depending on the severity of the case. If an offender blows more than a .08 blood alcohol concentration, the car will not start.

With the Maryland Drunk Driving Reduction Act of 2011, current law requires interlocks for those convicted of driving drunk with a blood alcohol concentration of more than a .15, almost twice the legal limit. Of all drunk driving convictions in Maryland, 70 percent have blood alcohol concentrations of .15 or higher. In all other convictions where the driver has a blood alcohol less than a .15, drivers are free to return to the road with little more than a fine and possible jail time unless, upon review of the case, the judge orders the driver to have an interlock.

If Maryland passes Noah’s Law, it would be the 26th state to establish legislation that requires interlocks for all drivers convicted of drunk driving above the .08 blood alcohol concentration threshold. For the past eight years, similar legislation has been considered by the Maryland legislature, but each time the law had failed. There was still much doubt this law would pass this time around as Maryland House Judiciary Chair Joseph Vallario has blocked bills to harden drunk driving laws for the past six years, but in a surprise action, Vallario, along with the rest of the House Judiciary Committee, voted for the bill to move to the House floor. Vallario is a defense attorney who has represented drunk drivers.

The statistics supporting ignition interlocks are undeniable. According to the Centers for Disease Control, interlocks have reduced drunk driving by 67 percent in the states where interlocks are required for all drunk-driving convictions. Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that they have prevented 1.7 million drivers from driving drunk since 1999, and there have been 39-percent less repeat offenders.