WBOC-TV 16, Delmarvas News Leader, FOX 21 - 2008 Md. Motor Vehicle Laws Become Effective on Oct. 1

2008 Md. Motor Vehicle Laws Become Effective on Oct. 1

09/30/2008 12:53 PM ET

TOWSON, Md.- Several pieces of motor vehicle legislation passed during Maryland's 2008 session will officially become law Oct. 1, including legislation targeted to teen drivers.

Legislation passed to improve teen driving safety includes HB 1426 impacting learners' permits and SB 460/HB 511, regarding moving violations by minors. 

"These new teen laws will strengthen the Maryland's Graduated Driver's Licensing (GDL) laws, as well as improve safety on our roads and help to reduce traffic fatalities," said Ragina C. Averella, manager of public and government affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic. 

House Bill 1426 increases the period in which a learner's permit is valid from one year to two years.  This will allow student drivers a longer period to continue practicing their driving and accumulate their required hours behind the wheel if they are not ready or eligible to apply for a provisional license after six months.  Previously, if a student driver did not graduate to  a provisional license before the one year expiration date of his or her learner's permit, he or she would have to reapply and retake and pass the written exam for a new learner's permit.

This bill also repeals a previous law that did not require a student driver to have a learner's permit if driving on Maryland roads with a certified or driver education program instructor.  The new law requires that student drivers now must have learners' permits to drive with certified instructors on Maryland roads.

Senate Bill 460 and its companion House Bill 511 will require the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) to notify parents or guardians when their underage driver receives any moving violation.  Previous law only required the MVA to make such notification when a teen driver was cited for exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 mph.  A recent study conducted by AAA's Foundation for Traffic Safety showed that the more involved parents are, the lower the crash rates are among their young drivers.

"If parents are notified when their young drivers are cited, they can be more effective in reinforcing good driving behaviors and issuing their own punishments if their young drivers aren't obeying Maryland's traffic laws," Averella said.

Another motor vehicle legislation that becomes effective Oct. 1 includes:

• SB 174/ HB 1119, which tightens the procedures for vehicle towing procedures and defines the appropriate equipment that must be used when one vehicle tows another.  This legislation was introduced in response to a multiple vehicle crash that occurred on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in May 2007, when a trailer, which was being towed by a sports utility vehicle, became unhitched.  Three people were killed in that incident.