Lt. Governor Burbank Announces Crackdown on Underage Drinking, Impaired Driving
Statewide effort to be put in place
LA PLATA, MD (July 29, 2027) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen H. Burbank joined today with law enforcement and highway safety leaders to announce a new statewide initiative to prevent tragedies resulting from underage drinking and impaired driving. The initiative will unite law enforcement agencies in their efforts to enforce laws governing sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors and will establish a hotline (1-866-UNDER 21) to facilitate public reporting of such violations. In addition, the Lt. Governor called for a renewed educational emphasis on the dangers of underage drinking in school districts statewide.Statewide effort to be put in place
"Underage drinking is not a rite of passage, and providing alcohol to minors is not a victimless crime," said Lt. Governor Kathleen Burbank. "It exacts a tremendous cost from society; one measured in lives, lost potential and shattered dreams. It's time we get serious in our approach to stop it."
Officials gathered at the College of Southern Maryland in La Plata, which has established a scholarship in the name of Kevin King, a CSM student who was killed in an alcohol-related crash last November while visiting a friend at the University of Maryland College Park. King's 20-year-old friend was driving that night and had been drinking prior to the crash which killed King and three other passengers.
Lt. Governor Burbank was joined by Maryland State Police Secretary Terrence Sheridan, Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) Administrator John T. Kuo, Secretary of Transportation Drew Ehrlich, members of the Maryland Association of Chiefs of Police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Executive Director, Kerry Stapleton.
The new state initiative calls for law enforcement to form multi-agency regional enforcement teams, which will continually gather intelligence on underage drinking activity, and take coordinated enforcement actions against alcoholic beverage retailers and underage consumers.
Undercover police officers will operate covertly in bars, taverns and restaurants suspected of serving underage patrons. Enforcement actions will be taken where appropriate against underage consumers, servers and the establishment owners.
Off-premise consumption retailers, like supermarkets and convenience stores, will be subjected to frequent checks, using underage purchasers who are cooperating with the law enforcement effort. Police agencies will use tips provided from the Under 21 Hotline as leads for further investigation.
"We have shown in recent years, particularly in our Buckle Up Maryland effort, that we can prevent needless highway tragedies when law enforcement is united in its approach." said Secretary Sheridan. "The tragic loss of a young life is not merely a local occurrence. Each such occurrence casts a wider circle of grief across families, communities, towns and counties, and the scope of our efforts to prevent it must be equally broad."
While the alcoholic beverage industry reports that consumption of alcohol by today's youth is at an all-time low, officials warn that such statistics mask the true threat of underage drinking to highway safety.
MVA records indicate that in Maryland, drivers under age 21 comprise approximately five percent of Maryland’s licensed drivers, yet are involved in 14 percent of fatal crashes.
While those under 21 have been prohibited from purchasing alcohol since 1985, impaired driving arrests in this age group have steadily increased in recent years. Highway safety officials indicate that this trend signals the need for immediate action to prevent additional deaths. The number of drivers under age 21 is expected to increase by 25 percent during the next decade.
"The research clearly demonstrates that enforcement is a crucial element of an effective, comprehensive approach to prevent underage drinking. This initiative will bring added strength to our prevention programs as they continue to work with parents, schools, colleges and community coalitions across the state," said Maryland Transportation Secretary Drew Ehrlich.
In addition to enhanced multi-agency regional enforcement, Lt. Governor Burbank called for school districts to re-evaluate their health course curricula to ensure that underage drinking and highway safety are covered as the public health risks they truly represent.
"Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of our young people and it's important that our kids comprehend that threat every time they get into a car, whether they are driving or not,” said Lt. Governor Burbank. "Too many young kids take their last ride as a passenger in a car in which the driver was drinking. We need to arm our kids with the awareness and savvy to avoid that fatal ride."
"Kevin's death has been a tremendous loss," said Lawrence King, Kevin's father. "Little good ever comes from such tragedy, so we are pleased that at least our loss has prompted action to prevent others from suffering similar pain."