St. Mary’s County, MD Criminal Defense: Penalties for Driving Without a License and on a Suspended or Revoked License
Under Maryland criminal law, it is a crime to drive without a license. Generally, we can distinguish three types of violations. These include the following (listed in order of increasing severity):
- Driving without a license
- Driving on a suspended license — this applies to out-of-state licenses too
- Driving on a revoked license — again, this applies to out-of-state licenses
Driving Without a License
Upon conviction for a first offense of driving without a license, the defendant faces up to two months in jail and a fine of up to $500. For a second and subsequent offense, the jail time could be increased to up to one year in jail. The fine remains at a $500 maximum. In addition, each conviction adds five “points” to your driving record which impacts your insurance rates and can endanger your ability to have a driver’s license. Thus, for example, under Maryland law, accumulating 12 or more points in a two year period of time will result in your driving privileges being revoked. For your information, Maryland’s accumulation schedule is as follows:
- 3 to 4 points – you are sent a warning letter
- 5 to 7 points – you must enroll in a Driver Improvement Program
- 8 to 11 points – you will receive a notice of suspension
- 12 or more points – you will receive a notice of revocation
Also, see MD Transp. Code, § 16-402 for a list of points assessed for various traffic offenses.
Driving With a Suspended License
There are a large number of ways in which a driver’s license can be suspended. As noted above, if a person accumulates 8-11 points in a two-year period, their driver’s license is suspended. In most cases, upon conviction for a first offense of driving on a suspended license, the defendant faces up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. In addition, 12 points will be added to the defendant’s driving record, pushing their driving privileges into the “revoked” category.
However, there are some circumstances where a person can be charged with driving with a suspended license where the penalties are less severe. For example, a driver’s license can be suspended because you failed to appear for a traffic ticket or failed to pay fines. Driving under a suspended license under this circumstance is considered a somewhat minor crime and can result in a jail term of 60 days, a fine of up to $500, and up to three points imposed on your driving record. See MD. Transp. Code, § 16-303(h).
Driving With a Revoked License
Upon conviction for a first offense of driving on a revoked license, the defendant faces up to 1 year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, and 12 points added to the defendant’s driving record. For obvious reasons, conviction of this crime will make it exceedingly difficult for the defendant to obtain a driver’s license in the future.
Contact Waldorf, Maryland Criminal Defense Lawyer Robert Castro Today
This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland criminal defense lawyer at (301) 705-5137. We are Waldorf, MD, Criminal Defense lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601.
