Surviving Drunk Driving Through Noah’s Law

Motor Vehicle Administration And Partners To Spotlight Maryland’s Expanded Ignition Interlock Law (Noah’s Law)

Noah’s Law will help DUI offenders get on the right track and avoid deadly incidents. The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration will unveil a new step that is expected to go miles in the right direction on Monday, September 30, 2024.

The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration will join highway safety advocates, including the Leotta Family, to announce the expansion of the Ignition Interlock Law that will now require all DUI offenders to participate in the Ignition Interlock System Program. HB 105 (CH 715), which was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore, will go into effect October 1, 2024, and close the loophole within the original law. The Drunk Driving Reduction Act of 2016, known as Noah’s Law, was passed after Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver.

According to the MVA, impaired driving is 100% preventable. However, over the past five years in Maryland, nearly 800 people have been killed and 15,000 have been injured in crashes involving an impaired driver. According to MADD, in 2023 in Maryland, ignition interlocks prevented more than 76,800 drinking and driving attempts (.02 BAC+), including preventing more than 8,100 drunk driving attempts (.08 BAC+).