Relatives of those killed by Md. drunken drivers look to close law loophole

By Kate Ryan | @KateRyanWTOP

ANNAPOLIS — If a Maryland driver is convicted of drunken driving, they must have an ignition interlock device installed in their car.

That’s due to Noah’s Law, the 2016 legislation named for Noah Leotta, a Montgomery County police officer killed by a drunken driver in 2015.

But now, Maryland lawmakers say that despite Noah’s Law, there is a gaping loophole in the state, and they want to close it.

Under current law, if a driver pleads to a drunken-driving charge and gets probation before judgment (known as PBJ) they are not subject to that requirement. And they aren’t required to have the device — which measures blood-alcohol levels through the driver’s breath — installed in their cars.