Md. also cracks down on drunken driving Maryland police will crack down on texting while driving and other negligent driving behaviors starting Saturday, when a host of new Maryland transportation laws takes effect.
Drivers also will face tougher laws for drunken driving and stiffer penalties when involved in fatal traffic accidents.
| New Maryland laws |
| » Typing, sending or reading texts while driving is now prohibited. |
| » Change lanes away from emergency vehicles parked on the side of the road with flashing lights. |
| » Give a three-foot buffer to bicycles or motorized scooters driving on the shoulder of the road. |
| » Plug-in cars may travel in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes regardless of the number of people inside the vehicle. |
More than a dozen laws passed by the General Assembly kick in Saturday, but the law with the most widespread effect may be the enhanced ban on texting.
Previous Maryland law banned motorists from writing or sending texts while driving, a loophole that allowed drivers to receive and read texts. The new law applies to drivers at all times — whether the car is in motion or stopped at a red light.
The violation also is moving up from a secondary offense, when police could only enforce it when investigating another traffic violation, to a primary offense.
“In 2008, there were 23,707 inattentive driver-involved crashes that killed 35 people in Maryland and injured 11,636 people,” said Motor Vehicle Administration head John Kuo. “Distracted driving is a major highway safety issue. This new law is aimed at reducing the number of distracted-driving crashes, injuries and fatalities.”
As a primary offense, texting while driving now means a $70 fine and one point on a driver’s license. However, if officials determine that texting helped cause an accident, the penalty jumps to a $110 fine and three points. A license can be suspended with as few as eight points and revoked with 12 points.
According to a AAA Mid-Atlantic poll, more than 40 percent of Maryland drivers list distracted driving as their highest-priority traffic safety issue.
“A major safety concern of Maryland motorists is distracted driving, so this amended law will help eliminate one more distraction on the roadway,” said Ragina Alverella, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Motorists are already prohibited from talking on cell phones while driving, though drivers 18 and older are allowed to use hands-free devices.
Other laws aim to crack down on drunken driving and give negligent drivers stiffer punishments.
Motorists whose negligent driving leads to someone’s death can now be prosecuted with misdemeanor charges. The new law allows prosecutors to consider poor driving that causes another person’s death to be “criminally negligent.”
“Before this law was passed, many drivers who killed with a motor vehicle often only faced fines and many were not even required to appear in court,” Alverella said.
Ignition interlock systems — breathalyzers installed in a car’s dashboard that prevent the vehicle from starting if a driver’s blood alcohol content is too high — will be mandatory for repeat offenders. The devices also will be required for drivers under the age of 21 caught with blood alcohol content of 0.02 or higher, as well as drivers caught with a BAC exceeding 0.15.
