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New Law for Traffic Tickets Starts Jan 1

This free email newsletter provides free legal information you can use in your own life. It is written by the attorneys at Andrews, Bongar, Starkey & Clagett, a full service law firm. Visit our website, SouthernMarylandLaw.com, for free legal information on topics like bankruptcy, personal injury, workers’ compensation, family law, criminal law, and a lot more. If you need an attorney, feel free to contact us. Call us anytime toll free from anywhere in Maryland, at 1-888-SMD-LAW1 (763-5291).

Disclaimer: This is general information about Maryland law. It is not legal advice, and there is no attorney-client relationship until you meet with an attorney and sign a retainer. Effective legal advice depends on understanding the unique facts of your situation. If you have a legal question, get advice from a lawyer before proceeding. That is the best advice we can ever give you.
Happy New Year from the Maryland State Police. Starting Jan 1, if you get any kind of traffic ticket, you must request a hearing or trial date if you want one. This is a major change from the old way of doing it. In the past, if you got a ticket and did nothing, you would automatically get a trial date. Many people just ignore all that fine print on the back of the ticket, but it was OK because they would get notice of trial date. Starting Jan 1, if you do that, you will have an unpaid ticket on your record. That could lead to more fines, problems at the MVA, and even a suspended license. Ouch!

This new law affects everyone who drives a car. We are all subject to a speeding ticket, or failing to fully stop at a stop sign, etc. You should pass on this email to every driver you know in Maryland so they will know what they have to do. You now have three options under the new law. One, pay the fine. Two, request a disposition hearing, which is where you plead guilty but have an explanation. This is what a lot of people do to avoid the points getting on their license. You can ask for probation before judgment and pay a fine or do some community service to avoid the points. Three, you can request a formal trial where the officer has to show up and testify. If you want a trial or a hearing, even if you are just trying to get out of the points, you have to affirmatively make a request.

If you do nothing, the fine is assessed in full and the points are on your license. If you have an unpaid ticket, you could be subject to more discipline by the MVA, and they could even suspend your license. If you get pulled over with a suspended license, you are probably going to get arrested. That is a heavy penalty for failing to read the fine print. This law does not apply to “must appear” citations, like drunk driving. You will get a mandatory trial date for those citations. But it does apply to all the “usual” sorts of violations that even we law abiding citizens sometimes get hit with. So pass this on to friends and family, and remind them to always read the fine print – at least on their traffic tickets.

You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for it, or you are a client of our firm. We do not spam. If you wish to unsubscribe, please follow the directions below. This content is written by Tucker Clagett, a Partner at Andrews, Bongar, Starkey & Clagett, a full service law firm with offices in Waldorf & Lexington Park. If you have questions or comments or topic suggestions, please feel free to email me directly. Thank you for reading.

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