Maryland Transportation Authority Police will conduct a sobriety checkpoint Friday night, April 3, at the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge toll plaza on Route 40 in Perryville.
The checkpoint is an effort to educate the public and prevent alcohol-related crashes, the police agency said in a news release.
During the checkpoint, MDTA Police will distribute information about laws and penalties for driving while intoxicated or while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Motorists caught driving while impaired will be arrested and prosecuted.
"Impaired driving is not an option. Before a motorist gets behind the wheel, they need to think about the consequences of their actions," MDTA Police Chief Colonel Michael T. Kundrat said in a statement. "Injuries resulting from impaired-driving crashes not only impact victims financially, but also affect their overall quality of life."
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in 2012 - one every 51 minutes. Drivers with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .08 or higher in fatal crashes were seven times more likely to have a prior conviction for driving while impaired than were drivers with no alcohol involvement or level.
In 2014, the MDTA Police arrested more than 1,000 impaired drivers and helped reduce alcohol-related crashes by 40 percent on MDTA roadways, MDTA Police said.