Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
| CONTACT: | Buel C. Young | MVA Organization Relations (410) 768-7386 |
New Driving Laws Focused on Teen Drivers Take Effect Today!
GLEN BURNIE, MD (October 1, 2008) - Two new Maryland driving laws focused on teen driver safety become effective today. The new laws affect the length of validity of a learner's permit and the notification of a parent or guardian when a minor receives a citation for any traffic violation.
House Bill 1426 increases the length of validity of a learner's permit from one to two years. The increase will provide teenage/novice drivers with the option of more practice time before attempting to obtain their driver's license. Prior to the law change a learner's permit holder would have to retake the law test, and pay the associated fees, in order to gain another year's validity on the learner's permit.
"Driver safety is a major highway safety issue and we want to encourage more parental involvement with their son or daughter to take ample time to properly practice and learn to drive," said John Kuo, Administrator of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). "Since the majority of learner's permit holders are teens, if a parent feels his or her child is not ready after a year of preparation, the permit will still be valid for another full year without the need to retest or pay the associated fees for an additional year."
House Bill 0511/Senate Bill 0460 requiring the MVA to notify a parent or guardian when a minor receives a citation for a traffic violation also takes effect today. MVA will notify the cosigner of the minor's driver's license application, upon notification from the District Court that a traffic citation was issued to the minor. The new law enhances Maryland Vehicle Law, which until now only notified a parent or guardian when a minor received a speeding ticket of at least 20 miles per hour over the maximum speed limit.
Both laws encourage more parental involvement in their teen's driving and strengthen current laws that apply to drivers who are 18 years of age and younger.
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