Traffic Enforcement in Wicomico County, Maryland
If you are a driver in or around Salisbury, Maryland the following is what you should know about how traffic laws are enforced in Wicomico County and whether you can be charged for a criminal offense stemming from a traffic violation. To learn more, call and schedule a consultation with a Wicomico traffic lawyer today, especially if you have already been charged.
Location of Wicomico County
Wicomico County is located on the eastern shore of Maryland and it is located approximately 120 miles from Baltimore and 120 miles from Washington, D.C.
There are two major highways that travel into Wicomico County. There is US Route 50, which actually runs all the way from west of Washington D.C., through the state of Maryland and through Wicomico County in an east west direction. Route 50 actually ends at the Atlantic Ocean and that is a major highway through Wicomico County, that goes right through the city of Salisbury which is the county seat of Wicomico County.
There is also Route 13 which is another large multi-lane highway that runs north and south through Wicomico County. Route 13 runs through Delaware and through Virginia, and also travels through the city of Salisbury.
Are Traffic Laws Heavily Enforced in Wicomico County?
On any given day in Wicomico County, there are law enforcement officers that are conducting speed enforcement on both Route 50 and Route 13. Both of those highways, especially in the summer, have quite a bit of traffic on them, and both lead into Ocean City which is the largest resort town in the state of Maryland and which has a huge uptick in tourism during the summer. So, in the summer especially there is a great deal of speed enforcement occurring on both Route 50 and Route 13.
Can Those Traffic Violations Be Criminal Offenses?
Most traffic violations are not considered violations of the criminal code, but are violations of the Traffic Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. However, if an officer pulls a car over for suspicion of violating the traffic laws and then makes contact with the driver of the vehicle and suspects any sort of violation of the criminal laws, then what began as a traffic stop potentially could end in a person being charged with criminal offenses.
For example, if the driver possesses something illegal within the car, such as some sort of controlled dangerous substance or if the driver possesses a firearm and is not transporting that firearm legally as required within the state of Maryland, then the driver could face criminal charges as well as have to deal with the traffic charges that got the officer’s attention in the first place.