Bethesda Point System Lawyer

The point system in Bethesda can often be confusing for an individual to understand. Different traffic violations produce different amounts of points on a driver’s license, with the accumulation sometimes resulting in a license suspension. If you have been accumulating points on your license and are wondering what to do in terms of next steps, it is crucial to hire a Bethesda traffic lawyer to assist you in this. An attorney will be able to confidently protect your points, and fight to get them either reduced or dismissed.

Maryland Demerit Point System

If a person is convicted of a violation that is in the Maryland Transportation Article, in either the Maryland District Court or Circuit Court, the court notifies the MVA of that connection. The MVA will assess the number of points associated with the traffic offense to the person’s driving record.

Most moving violations in Bethesda come with at least two points, that will automatically be put on the person’s driver’s record if the individual pays the ticket and does not contest it. It is important for an individual to not receive any points on their record, because it may lead to severe consequences with insurance rates or the person’s livelihood if they are a commercial driver. The Maryland Annotated Code or the Code of Maryland Regulations identifies the number of points assigned to each violation.

Removal of Points

Points will remain on a person’s driver’s record until they are expunged by the MVA after the violation. After two years from the violation date, the points are no longer current points. An insurance company or employer can see how many points are on a person’s record, because it is public information for three years from when the violation occurred. For this reason, it is important to hire a lawyer to prevent any future employers from seeing these charges. The points are removed automatically after three years if:

• The person has not committed another moving violation or other criminal offense involving a motor vehicle during the three-year period
• The individual’s license has not been suspended or revoked
• The person has never been convicted of driving while intoxicated, fleeing the scene of an accident, or any similar violation

Accumulation of Points

The number of points a person accumulated over the previous two years determines what action the MVA might take. When the MVA adds more points to a person’s record, they review the record for the number of points the person accumulated.

• If the person has accumulated three to four points, the MVA sends them a warning letter. The warning letter tells them that more stern measures will be taken by the MVA if they get another ticket infraction.

• If someone accumulates five to seven points, they are required to enroll and complete a driver improvement program. These are offered across the state by various third party companies and vary depending on which company the person uses.

• If someone accumulates eight to 11 points, they receive a notice of suspension. If they accrue 12 or more points, they will receive a notice of revocation, which means they must give up their driver’s license to an MVA office. Once that period of time is complete, they must go to the MVA to apply for a new license.

License Suspension

In regards to suspensions, a person may receive either a Notice of Point Suspension or a Notice of Suspension. The Notice of Point Suspension means the person has accumulated eight to 11 points, but the points are not from alcohol or drug related violations. Upon receiving this notice, the person has two options.

One, they can accept the suspension and return their driver’s license to the MVA no later than the suspension date on the notice. If they are late in returning their license to the MVA, their suspension period will be extended by the number of days that they are late.

Secondly, a person may also request a hearing. If they want to request a hearing and explain why the suspension should not be imposed, they must complete and return the notice and the filing fee within 15 days from the notice date.

The Notice of Suspension means that the individual accumulated eight to 11 points, and at least one of the convictions is for an alcohol or drug-related violation. A license suspension can have a severe impact on the life of a driver, and any possible avenue that can be explored to prevent this from happening will be investigated by an experienced Bethesda point system lawyer.