That’s right, Maryland has now gone the way of the Virgin Islands, Washington DC, California, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington. They have done so despite reports and studies that found such laws have done nothing to quell accidents. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-29/us/cellphone.study_1_cell-phone-bans-hands-free-devices-texting?_s=PM:US
Hand Held Cell Phones are now prohibited from use while driving. The law went into effect TODAY!
What does this mean for you? Basically it means that if you’re behind the wheel of your car, you must be “hands free.” Headsets or speaker phones must be used in order to legally use your phone and drive.
A lot has been made about whether this law is a “primary” or “secondary” offense. Secondary offenses cannot be used to pull a driver over so long as no other violations are occurring. Practically, it may not matter whether the offense is secondary because a violation of this law can result in a “negligent driving” charge, resulting in a traffic stop either way.
It’ll cost you $40 for the first offense and $100 (PLUS A POINT ON YOUR LICENSE) for subsequent offenses.
Good luck and Safe Driving.
Peter Casciano
Attorney at Law
Andalman & Flynn, P.C.
8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 604
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 563-6685 phone
(301) 563-6681 fax
pcasciano@a-f.net
www.andalmanflynn.com