Attorney General Gansler Joins Chiefs of Police Association to Kick Off
2008 Checkpoint Strikeforce Campaign

Sykesville, Md. (August 18, 2008) – Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, along with the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association, announced today the beginning of Maryland’s 2008 Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign. Checkpoint Strikeforce is a multi-state campaign that includes Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. This weekend, law enforcement agencies in three-quarters of Maryland’s jurisdictions will take part in a regional initiative to stop drunk driving on rural roads. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that more than half (55 percent) of the nation’s 2006 traffic fatalities occurred on rural roads. In Maryland, the proportion of impaired drivers involved in crashes is more than 50 percent higher in the rural areas as compared to other areas of the State.

With the approach of Labor Day weekend, which is one of the deadliest drunk driving holiday weekends of the year, Checkpoint Strikeforce has begun a five-month, statewide campaign to reduce the incidence of drunken driving. This statewide campaign combines proactive public education and enforcement efforts, such as sobriety checkpoints and patrols, in order to raise public awareness of drunk driving.

“When Maryland law enforcement agencies make arrests, prosecutors will come down hard on those who choose to drink and drive. When they come to court, violators will learn that the drunk driving penalties can cost them much more than a ticket or fine,” said Attorney General Gansler.

In addition to sobriety checkpoints and patrols, the Maryland Checkpoint Strikeforce campaign is issuing advertisements in combination with other statewide outreach efforts in an effort to remind citizens of the many dangers and consequences of impaired driving.

For more information on the 2008 Checkpoint Strikeforce Campaign, go to the following website: http://www.checkpointstrikeforce.net/educate.html.