The state of Maryland has a major portion of its roads in and around the cities of Baltimore and Washington D.C. These cities are the most congested cities in the United States. Thus, the roads of Maryland are very congested and see a lot of traffic. In such high traffic situations it is of utmost importance to ensure that a driver follows all the rules and regulations set by the government. These rules are written purely to ensure that each driver is safe on the road. Every driver must realise that any violations of these rules might endanger his life along with many other families. Violations of the law will be harshly dealt with.
The state of Maryland follows the Tort system of rules. According to this system, in case of an accident, the person responsible for the accident must pay for all the damages caused due to the accident. The victims of the accident are allowed to sue the driver responsible for damages including pain, suffering and lost wages.
The minimum liability fixed by the state of Maryland is twenty thousand dollars per person and forty thousand dollars in total for bodily injury. It also includes a mandatory fifteen thousand dollars for property damage. Uninsured motorist’s coverage and personal injury protection is not mandatory in many of the other states of America but it is compulsory in Maryland. The minimum amount for uninsured motorist’s coverage is the same as minimum liability and the minimum amount for PIP or personal injury protection is two thousand five hundred dollars.
One of the most serious offenses in the state of Maryland is DUI or driving under influence. The penalties imposed are strict and severe. For a first time conviction, a person may face a jail term up to a year and a fine that might go up to a thousand dollars. It is a much bigger offense if the driver is under influence and is driving a minor. This might result in a jail term up to two years and a fine up to an amount of two thousand dollars. The driver’s license will be suspended for a period of forty five days at the very least. For a first DWI conviction, a person will have to face a two month jail term and a five hundred dollar fine. For DWI, the driver’s license will be suspended for sixty days.
Second conviction will be two years and two thousand dollars fine or three years three thousand dollars fine if found driving with a minor. A person is said to be found driving under the influence of his blood alcohol content is 0.08% or more. However, the state of Maryland does differentiate between DUI and DWI. DWI is driving with influence. If the blood alcohol content is more than 0.07% the driver will receive a DWI and a much lower penalty.
In the state of Maryland it is an offense to be driving over the speed limit set by the state government for any road. Speed has to be under the limit prescribed especially around school zones, residential localities etc.
