BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland State Police are urging motorists to avoid aggressive, distracted and impaired driving throughout the Super Bowl weekend.

Maryland State Troopers from all 23 barracks, including the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort (SPIDRE) team, will focus on aggressive, distracted and impaired driving while conducting increased saturation patrols along roadways where impaired driving related crashes often occur. Enforcement efforts are bolstered by funds from the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office.

Among the planned initiatives:

• Eastern Region: Troopers from the Berlin, Centreville, Easton, Princess Anne and Salisbury barracks will focus enforcement efforts on routes 301, 50, 90, 859, 13 and 413.
• Central Region: Troopers from the College Park, Forestville, Golden Ring, Rockville, Waterloo and Westminster barracks will conduct high-visibility enforcement on interstates 495 and 270, including routes 50, 5 and 301.
• Western Region: Troopers from the Cumberland, Frederick, Hagerstown and McHenry barracks will focus on crash reduction, DUI enforcement on interstates 70 and 81 and Route 40.
• Northern Region: Troopers from the Bel Air, JFK Memorial Highway and North East barracks will conduct high-visibility enforcement in areas with known DUI related traffic incidents and throughout their counties.
• Southern Region: Troopers from the Annapolis, Glen Burnie, La Plata, Leonardtown and Prince Frederick barracks will patrol along routes 5, 235, 50, 295 and interstates 97 and 695.

Last year, troopers made 81 DUI arrests and issued more than 5,700 citations and warnings during Super Bowl weekend. Additionally, troopers responded to 40 reported crashes.

Impaired driving is preventable. If you are attending a Super Bowl gathering:

• Designate a sober driver in advance.
• If you’re planning on driving, avoid drinking. Consider using public transportation, call a taxi or use a ride-share service if you don’t have a sober driver.
• Do not let a friend drive if you suspect they are impaired.
• If you see or suspect an impaired driver, call 911.
• Stay alert and focused. Don’t text or drive distracted.
• Move over for all vehicles displaying warning signals. If it is not safe to move over, slow down.