Drivers certainly need to be aware of the legal limit in Maryland. This refers to the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit that drivers cannot exceed. For most drivers, this is a BAC of 0.08%. It can be measured in various ways, but the most common is a breath test.
That being said, some people make the mistake of assuming that all drivers have to follow the same legal limit. This is not true. The limit is set at 0.08% for the majority of people in Maryland, but there are some important exceptions.
Underage drivers
To begin with, no one in Maryland is legally allowed to purchase or consume alcohol if they are under 21 years old. As such, Maryland has instituted zero-tolerance drunk driving laws. If a person is under the legal drinking age, any amount of detectable alcohol can lead to an arrest. This is often defined as 0.02%, just a quarter of the legal limit for everyone else.
Commercial drivers
The law also applies differently to commercial drivers who have a CDL. They have a legal limit of 0.04%. Because these individuals drive for a living, they need to be more careful about the alcohol that they consume. This is especially true because many commercial vehicles are much larger than the passenger cars around them – such as an 80,000-pound semi-truck.
Those who are facing drunk driving charges must know about the differences in the law and how it applies to them. They also need to know about their criminal defense options so that they can build a strong strategic response to the charges they’re facing. Seeking personalized guidance is a good way to start.