Maryland driver imrovement program

When you pay a fine, it is equivalent to you saying, "I am guilty," And points will be assessed after payment is received. No points are assessed until after the trial. Why do points matter? They matter on your driving record. At three points you'll have a warning, at five points you'll have to take a driver improvement class, at 8 points your driving priviliges are suspended, and at 12 points your driving priviliges are revoked.

Points also matter financially. There are increased costs for automobile insurance and transportation, there is also an impact on employment if you drive for a living, there are court fees and MVA fines, and also attorney fees.

Let's think about how you got here. At some point you were pulled over. Was your car towed? Was your car impounded? Were you arrested? Did you have to pay a bail bond? Did you have to pay for an attorney? How much fif you pay in fines and fees? What was the cost of this class? And how much time did you miss from work? Here is one real life example from our friend William.

As you can see, getting into trouble can be costly When 8 or more points have been accumulated, your license is considered, suspended. A notice of suspension will be received to your address, you will have 15 days to request a hearing to prove that you really are a safe driver. You will have to pay court fees and costs when you go the hearing. The administration hearing judge will determine the length of your suspension.

When your license is suspended, the suspension begins immediately. However, the credit of your suspension does not begin until the MVA receives your license. When the MVA receives your license, it will be destroyed and you will need to get another one, once the suspension has been lifted. When you accumulate 12 points, it is considered a revocation.

You will also be given 15 days to request a hearing to prove that you are a safe driver. You will have to pay court costs when you go. Revocation terms vary from 6 to 24 months depending if it is your first, second, third, or fourth revocation.

Your revocation credit does not begin until the MVA receives your license. Before you get your license back, you will have to attend a driver improvement program class. You will also have to attend other educational or treatment programs. So if your license is reovked or suspended can you just wait to get your license back? The answer is NO. You will have to prove that you can drive safely before you get your license back.

If your license is suspended or revoked in Maryland can you go to another state and get a new license? Every state in the United States participates in the interstate compact that shares information about your driving record, suspensions, DUI convictions, and recovations. There is one driving record wherever you go. Does it matter if your license is suspended or revoked? It is extremely permanent and inconvenient. Revocations and suspensions for any drug or alcohol related convictions, including refusal to test, cannot be expunged from your driving record.

You may also lose your job, if it requires driving. Quiz 1 Now that we have completed our first objective of defining the points system and how they relate to your driving history, we will now move to our Second objective: Learn about unsafe and dangerous driving behaviors.

The following is a list of principle dangers confronted when driving. Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol Alcohol impairs your ability to drive. The more alcohol you drink, the more alcohol that is in your blood. As your BAC increases, your reaction time decreases, your vision diminishes, you concentration lessens, and your judgement weakens. If you plan to drink, plan not to drive. There are several factors that affect your BAC. Some of which include: Weight, drugs, how much you drank, how much you ate, body fat, when you drank, age, gender, genetics, and race and ethinicity Energy drinks have ingredients that can cause significant driver impairment and have dangerous side effects.

Mixing energy drinks with alcohol, can be deadly. We will now continue to talk about how blood alcohol concentration levels or BAC affect your system. Your driving may be impaired. You may also experience a decline in coordination, reduced ability to visually track objects, reduced ability to focus, and reduced ability to respond quickly.

For most people, driving is impaired. You may also have trouble concentrating on any task and may have a significantly reduced ability to process information. For most people, driving will be significantly impaired If you plan to drink, plan not to drive. It is very difficult to assess your own BAC or level of impairment.

There is nothing safe about drinking and driving. What is the legal limit? According to Maryland law, it is illegal to drive when you have more than the legal limit of alcohol in your body, even if you think you are able to drive If you are stopped, the police officer can measure your BAC, which can be measured in two ways.

Either a breath test or a blood test at a medical facility. What happens if you refuse to take a breath test for alcohol? Please check the back of your license. When you got your license you agreed to be tested upon request. Any time of refusal of implied consent, will result in stronger penalties. Our next topic is drugs How do drugs impair driving? Drugs acting on the brain can alter perception, cognition, attention, balance, coordination, and reaction time.

These activities make driving possible. Drugs that affect your ability to drive may be legal or illegal. Drugs that are legal include prescription and over the counter. While they are legal, they may cause driving impairment. Be sure to read the warning labels for all drugs.

No recording How specific the drug affects you and your driving depends on how the drug interacts with your body. It also depends on how much you have taken, whether you have taken the drug in the past, whether you have consumed other drugs, whether you have consumed alcohol, and there are millions of other factors.

Drugs that are illegal are referred to as controlled dangerous substances also, CDS. The penalties for driving under the influence of an illegal substance are higher Marijuana is the illegal drug most commonly detected in impaired drivers. Its effects last up to 24 hours and can be detected in your body for 30 days or more. Marijuana impairs your alertness, ability to concentrate, coordination. It also impairs your ability to react quickly, including reaction to sounds and signals.

It also impairs your ability to judge distances. This means that almost one in every five drivers driving on a Saturday night is driving impaired. Drugs can be detected and measured by the police by an exam by a drug recognition expert or by a blood test. What if I do not want to take a blood test for drugs? Remember-implied consent means stronger penalties for refusal. Quiz 2 Driving while distracted Distracted driving is any non-driving activity that causes you to take your eyes off of the road, take your hands off of the steering wheel, or take your mind off of driving.

Here are some examples of driving distracted. And according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, nearly people died in in crashes involving a distracted driver. This is more than half a million people who were injured.

Maryland law says you cannot text while driving, or use your hands to talk on a cell phone while driving. Drivers of State Vehicles Policy. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server.

Please enable scripts and reload this page. JavaScript Required JavaScript is required to use content on this page. Please enable JavaScript in your browser. Skip to Content Accessibility Information. Choose Safety for Life: B uckle up. Take the online driver improvement program — and review the rules of the road. Once you have completed the online portion of DIP you will need to schedule an appointment to take the final exam 20 questions at our Owings Mills office.

Testing is usually scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 2pm — 5pm. Testing is done by appointment only. Appointments are only scheduled once the online portion has been completed. To schedule an appointment please call our office at