WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) today announced that the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has been awarded a grant for $1,991,041 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help fight impaired driving. MDOT will distribute the funds statewide, which will be used to combat impaired driving through education and enforcement.
Impaired driving from alcohol and/or drug use has taken a deadly toll on Maryland’s roads. In 2010, 154 people lost their lives in impaired-driving related accidents. Recent state, local, and federal collaborations have resulted in Maryland being ranked 11th lowest in the nation in terms of alcohol-related driving fatalities.
“Maryland and other states around the nation struggle with the problem of impaired drivers on our roads,” said Senator Cardin. “This funding will help us alert the driving public to the dangers of impaired driving and ensure that we have the resources we need to get impaired drivers off the roads. Marylanders should have the piece of mind that comes from knowing that the number of impaired drivers is being reduced in part to this grant.”
“Every day, Marylanders use the state’s roadways to get back and forth to jobs, schools, and home. They expect these roadways to be safe for them and their families,” said Senator Mikulski, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee which funds DOT. “These federal funds will help keep our roads safe from all hazards, including impaired drivers. I will continue to fight every year to make sure that Maryland’s transportation needs are a priority in the federal checkbook.”
Maryland is one of 47 states along with Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia that qualified for this grant under the Alcohol Incentive Grant program.
