he Metropolitan Area Drunk Driving Defense Project (MADDDP) is a criminal defense project within the Law Offices of Bernard C. Coleman, Jr. & Associates, LLC. MADDDP was established in order to improve the quality of legal representation for individuals arrested for drunk driving offenses in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The project is staffed with Associates who are uniquely qualified to counsel, advise and to work with the client to develop a comprehensive defense strategy prior to a court hearing.

The legal intoxication limit in the metropolitan area is 0.08%, and law enforcement agencies in the Baltimore-Washington-Virginia corridor are trained to use twenty-six indicators to predict to a high probability whether a driver may be under the influence. Sometimes, despite these pointers, the officer is wrong and the stop was without probable cause. Nevertheless, a wrongful stop can grow into other charges such as refusal, driving without a seatbelt, and possession of contraband that may be in the vehicle or on the body of the accused.

Most citizens become outraged when they have been arrested for drunk driving. Moreover, the citizen is nervous and has to undergo a field sobriety test (FST). Nervousness and general agitation can cause the individual to fail the test. Oftentimes the person must perform the FST in less than desirable circumstances, and no consideration is given for inclement weather, poor surfaces or emotionally stability.