As of October 1, 2013, texting while driving in Maryland
is considered a primary offense. Your first ticket for distracted driving comes with a $75 fine and one point on your driver’s license
. This ban on handheld devices also includes school bus drivers and drivers under 18. According to the Maryland Highway Safety Officer, distracted driving is responsible for more than 27,000 injuries and 185 deaths in the state every year. In Maryland, distracted driving is defined as “any activity that diverts the driver’s attention away from the primary task of driving.”
To lower the number of distracted driving accidents, Maryland has joined many other states in imposing strict bans on texting while driving.
To help you understand the new distracted driving laws, we compiled all you need to know into a single article. Here, you’ll get a breakdown of Maryland‘s distracted driving laws, what the penalties are for breaking them, and how much a ticket will affect your monthly insurance payments.
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Start earning nowWhat are the texting and driving laws in Maryland?
Maryland considers texting while driving a primary offense and you can be pulled over and given a citation for any use of your phone.
Additionally, school bus drivers are prohibited from using any handheld devices while driving. The same applies to drivers under the age of 18.
The state of Maryland sees texting and driving as a serious offense because it combines two major types of distracted driving: cognitive and sensory.
Cognitive distractions—anything that takes your mind off of driving
Sensory distractions—anything that takes your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel
Before the law changed in 2013, Maryland considered texting and driving a secondary offense. That means officers could only ticket texting drivers if they were pulled over for another offense, like speeding.
What are the penalties for texting and driving in Maryland?
Maryland punishes drivers for texting and driving with fines and points on their driver's licenses. However, it’s important to note that Maryland penalizes distracted driving differently for the use of handheld devices and texting on a phone.
For handheld devices, the penalties are:
3rd+ offense—up to a $175 fine
For texting and driving, the penalties are:
No crash—$70 fine and one point on their license
Texting contributes to a crash—$110 fine and three points on their license
If a distracted driver causes serious injury or death to another person, they can be fined up to $5,000 and face up to three years in jail.
Are there exceptions to Maryland’s texting and driving law?
Maryland does not permit texting and driving for any reason; however, you can still use your phone to contact emergency services, such as an ambulance or the police.
Are there special rules about texting and driving for young drivers?
Maryland drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from any use of their cell phones or handheld devices while driving.
Key Takeaway: Though texting while driving is illegal in Maryland, you can still use your phone to contact emergency services.
Can texting and driving raise my insurance premium?
Texting while driving isn’t just dangerous and illegal, it’s expensive! A distracted driving ticket will increase the cost of your insurance premium, and any additional tickets will only increase it further.
If we take a look at the numbers, the average Maryland driver with a clean driving record
pays an annual rate of $1,641. After their first distracted driving ticket, their rate increased to $1,947. That’s an increase of 19%! Just a single ticket ends up costing an additional $306 every year. Texting and driving just isn’t worth it. To protect yourself, your fellow drivers, and your budget, put your phone away. If you need to use a specific function on your phone, like GPS, consider investing in a hands-free device.
How to save money on car insurance in Maryland
Distracted driving tickets in Maryland are expensive. However, you shouldn’t have to suffer from overpriced car insurance due to a one-time mistake. If you want to lower your monthly costs, or even save some money, download the Jerry
app (once you’re safely off the road). Jerry is a car insurance broker and super app that saves drivers an average of $887 every year. All you have to do is download the app, enter in some simple information, and then you’ll have quotes from more than 50 insurance providers in less than two minutes!
It’s fast, easy, and Jerry will even find you additional policies when it comes time to renew your insurance. Don’t settle for overpriced coverage ever again—switch and save with Jerry today!
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