Drunk driving arrests occur in every state, but there can be clear discrepancies from one state to the next. Some of this variation is due to population. States with relatively lower populations sometimes have higher drunk driving arrest statistics.
This happens because statistics often measure the rate, rather than the total number of arrests, such as considering the number of DUI arrests per 100,000 state residents. For example, states like California or New York may have far more drunk driving arrests in total than smaller states like Maryland, but the arrest rate could still be much higher in those smaller states.
Maryland falls in the middle
In Maryland, there are 237.7 drunk driving arrests per 100,000 residents, putting the state in the middle of the pack. Some states have much lower rates, such as Delaware at 36.1, Louisiana at 130.6 or Ohio at 128.9.
However, there are also states where drunk driving arrests are far more common than in Maryland. For instance, North Dakota and South Dakota have two of the highest arrest rates in the country. South Dakota’s rate is 938.8 arrests per 100,000 residents, while North Dakota’s is 836.4.
What legal options do drivers have?
Because Maryland falls in the middle, there’s a moderate chance that a driver will be arrested for DUI charges. Those individuals need to understand all of their legal defense options.
For example, some drivers argue that the original traffic stop was illegal or happened without reasonable suspicion, while others claim that police made errors when administering a breath test or field sobriety tests. There are many potential defense tactics, depending on the specifics of the case, and it can help to work with an experienced law firm at this time.