Information on Maryland Teen Driving Rules, Insurance Requirements & Drivers License
The State of Maryland Graduated Licensing System
The Graduated Licensing System in Maryland is designed to reduce high risk driving situations for teen drivers while increasing parental involvement and supervision. The graduated system allows new drivers to practice driving and learn the rules of the road with a restricted license that mandates supervision and reduces exposure to well known driving risks. After certain criteria are met the new driver is allowed to graduate to a less restricted license level.
The State of Maryland Learner 's Permit
Applicants for the learner's permit must be a minimum of 15 years and 9 months of age. If the teen driver is under the age of 16 when applying for the learner permit the teen must present a Learner's Permit School Attendance Certificate to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). If the applicant is under the age of 18 the applicant must have a parent or legal guardian sign the learner permit application.
When applying for a learner permit, the applicant must provide identification, proof of age and residence in the State of Maryland and must pass all applicable tests. Once the learner's permit has been issued the permit holder may only drive while accompanied by a licensed adult driver 21 years of age or older. The adult supervisor must have held a driver license in good standing for a minimum of 3 years and sit in the front passenger seat next to the teen driver while the vehicle is in motion.
No other passengers are allowed in the front while the permit holder is operating the vehicle. When the permit is issued the qualified supervising driver will be issued a Practice Skills Logfor the learner permit holder. This log must be completed by the supervising driver (Parent, Legal Guardian, Responsible Adult). The learner permit is valid for 12 months from date of issue.
While holding the learner's permit, teen drivers under the age of 18 are not allowed to use any type of wireless communication device while driving. This includes cell-phones, text-messaging devices, PDA's etc. If the teen driver is ticketed for this offense they may have their permit suspended. The learner's permit must be held for a period of 9 months minimum without a driving conviction and the holder must complete a State of Maryland approved driver education course prior to graduating to the provisional license.
The State of Maryland Provisional License
The applicant must be at least 16 years and 6 months old to receive a provisional driver license. The provisional license is available to drivers that have held the Maryland learner's permit for 9 months without a driving conviction. In addition, the applicant must show proof that they have completed a State of Maryland approved driver education course.
The supervising driver (Parent, Legal Guardian or Responsible Adult) must submit the Practice Skills Logo showing that the applicant has completed at least 60 hours of supervised driving with 10 out of the 60 hours being nighttime driving. Before receiving a provisional license, the applicant must schedule and pass a driver skills test.
After receiving a provisional license, teen drivers under the age of 18 are not allowed passengers under the age of 18 that are not immediate family members for the first 151 days (5 months) that they hold the provisional license unless they are accompanied by a supervising driver 21 years of age or older that have held a driver license in good standing for a minimum of 3 years. Teen drivers under the age of 18 that hold a provisional license are not allowed to drive without the supervising driver present between the hours of midnight and 5:00 AM unless:
- They are driving during, to or from a place of employment.
- They are driving to or from a school sanctioned activity.
- They are driving to or from an official volunteer program.
- They are driving to or from an athletic event or related training that they participate in.
After the teen driver has reached the age of 18 they may drive at any hour without restriction. Provisional license holder must hold the license for 18 months without a driving conviction before receiving a full unrestricted license.
The State of Maryland Full Driver License
You must be a minimum of 18 years of age to receive an unrestricted driver license. Applicants must have held a provisional license without a traffic conviction for 18 months prior to receiving the unrestricted license. The provisional license will be converted to a full license by the Motor Vehicle Administration once all the provisional license requirements have been met. The provisional license holder will receive, by mail, an attachment card that shows the conversion to a full license. This card should be carried with the provisional license to show current license status. When the provisional license expires, the card will expire and the holder will be issued a full license when applying for licensing renewal.
Insurance Requirements in the State of Maryland
All registered owners in the State of Maryland are required to carry liability insurance, personal injury protection and uninsured motorist coverage.
You will need to present proof of this coverage when you register your vehicle. The minimum legal coverage is listed below.
- $20,000 Per Person Bodily Injury
- $40,000 Two or More People Bodily Injury
- $15,000 For Property Damage
If you drive uninsured you may lose your vehicle registration privileges and license plates. In addition you may be restricted from registering any future vehicles if there are still outstanding insurance violations.
Other Maryland Information
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