Maryland Unlicensed Driving Lawyer

Under Maryland law, an individual may not drive or attempt to drive a motor vehicle on any highway in Maryland unless the individual holds a valid driver’s license. If a person is found to be driving without a valid driver’s license on their person, they will be charged with an unlicensed driving charge. Such a charge could result in expensive and extensive penalties and therefore warrants attention from a Maryland unlicensed driving lawyer who will be able to go through the details of your case, beginning with the initial traffic stop, and determine your best defense. To learn more or begin building a defense for your case, call and schedule a consultation with a traffic lawyer in MD today.

Unlicensed Driving Charges

An unlicensed driving charge is a criminal misdemeanor in Maryland. A law enforcement officer is trained to ask for the driver’s license during every traffic stop for a moving violation, or if the individual is involved in a car accident. It is not uncommon to see this charge, along with other moving violations such as speeding and running a red light, as the underlying reason why the individual was stopped in the first place.

It is possible that a judge will place someone in jail if they have not hired an unlicensed driving attorney in Maryland, due to the seriousness of the offense. Someone might also go to jail if they have been charged previously for the same offense. However, many times this charge can be resolved by obtaining a valid license and bringing it to court to show the prosecutor.
A Maryland unlicensed driving charge is a must appear citation which comes with the potential of a $500 fine, five points on the individual’s driving record, and up to 60 days in jail for a first offense. For a second or subsequent offense, the maximum jail time increases to up to 12 months.

Role of an Attorney

Driving while unlicensed could extremely hinder a person’s ability in the future to obtain a new license. A Maryland unlicensed driving lawyer may help an individual get their charge reduced, or dropped altogether. A lawyer will be able to examine the traffic stop and determine whether the officer had a valid reason to stop you in the first place; if the stop was conducted in the appropriate manner; and whether any evidence which will be used against the defendant in court was obtained in the appropriate manner without violating a person’s constitutional rights, as dictated by the Fourth and Fifth amendment.

Additionally, a person’s charge may be reduced due to the efforts of a lawyer if it is determined that they were in possession of a license which was revoked or suspended at the time they were stopped by the officer. In this instance, there will be a different charge than unlicensed driving, it would be driving on a suspended license charge. It will also be a different charge if at the time of the stop, you had a valid license but it was not on your person or in your vehicle to give to the officer.