That speeding ticket you got on the way to work the other day racked up 5 points on your license. The next few weeks are hectic; the holidays are coming up, flights are booking up and the days are blurring into each other. All of sudden you look in the rearview mirror and realize you ran a red light; you’re safe and so is everyone else, but the flashing red and blues behind you mean another 3 points on your license. In Maryland, those 8 points mean a mandatory suspension.
Other ways your license can be suspended
Accumulating 8 points is grounds for automatic suspension, but there are other reasons that the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration can suspend your driving privileges. Driving under the influence? Suspension. Refuse to submit to a test for intoxication? Suspension. Warrant issued for any offense? Suspension. Forget to mail a child support check? Suspension.
The Post Office is not supposed to forward mail from the MVA, so if you didn’t change your listed address, you may not have been notified of your suspension. Being pulled over and ticketed for driving on suspended license can come totally out of the blue for you, and the state of Maryland does not treat the offense lightly.
The most common reasons for a license suspension include driving while impaired offenses, accident related offenses, or tampering with official equipment (like interlock devices or odometers). The majority of suspensions fall under this category. While circumstances vary from case to case, new legislation is being introduced that changes the penalties for driving on a suspended license.
New laws will keep you out of jail
In most situations, the new legislation means that you can no longer be incarcerated for driving on a suspended license. Instead, the offense will carry a maximum fine of $500 and no jail time. However, the transportation section of the Code of Maryland is complicated, and it can be difficult to understand what can happen to you if you were charged with driving on a suspended license.
If you are facing a potential suspension, you want to act fast, and not just because you want answers. There are things that you can do, like submit a hearing request, that are extremely time sensitive. A hearing request can help keep you on the road while fighting your charges in court.
If you are charged with driving on a suspended license, there are ways that a good Annapolis defense attorney can minimize the impact the offense will have on your life. You may have had a good reason to be on the road, especially if you were unaware of the suspension in the first place. You can reach me at my law firm – Drew Cochran, Attorney at Law – by calling
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