Maryland House Approves DWI Bill Breathalyzer Refusal Admissible at Trial
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The Maryland House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly yesterday to close a loophole in state law that has rewarded drivers who refuse to submit to a breath test — a measure legislators called a crucial weapon in their fight to toughen drunken driving laws. [Casper R. Taylor Jr.] was one of several legislative leaders who joined with Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D) to make drunken driving reform a top priority this year. The issue also has received attention in Virginia, where, last week, the General Assembly passed a bill allowing prosecutors to tell juries that defendants in drunken driving cases refused a breath test. That measure, though, would not allow prosecutors to use that refusal as evidence of guilt. The measures attempt to revise current Maryland law that allows drivers to refuse to submit to a breath test without that refusal being admissible in court, and that sets the blood alcohol limit for intoxication at 0.1. Source : pqasb.pqarchiver.com |