By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

Excessive speeding can now land drivers in jail, one of dozens of new laws that took effect this week in the state of Maryland.

Oct. 1 was the effective date for more than 150 bills that the General Assembly passed into law during this year’s Legislative Session. Many happen to be driving-related, including new policies on speed cameras, license plates, and drivers licenses.

Speeding fines in effect are now on a sliding scale: the faster you go, the more the fine goes up (HB 182). At most, drivers caught going 40 mph or more above the posted speed limit are now subject to arrest and a fine of $500. That fine doubles to $1,000 if road workers are present.

Another law makes reckless driving an incarcerable offense and increases to $1,000 the maximum fines for negligent and aggressive driving. It also expands the list of traffic offenses that constitute aggressive driving, like ignoring stoplights and traffic signs, failing to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk, and passing in a no-passing zone.

That bill (HB 744) came out of the Maryland House of Delegates and was named for Sgt. Patrick Kepp, a police officer in Montgomery County who was struck by a driver traveling more than 100 mph and was catastrophically injured.

It’s a regulation that Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli is taking very seriously. In a message posted to Facebook on Sept. 26, he reminded drivers how reckless driving will become an arrestable offense under state law.

“Here in Worcester County, our deputies will be out aggressively patrolling, looking for egregious violators,” he said. “Slow down, get where you’re going safely, because safety is everyone’s responsibility. Let’s be responsible, especially out here on our roadways, because speed kills.”

Another law (HB 343) alters who can cite drivers for speed camera violations. Before, only sworn law enforcement officers could view and sign off on a speed camera violation. Now, a hired non-police officer, designated as a speed camera technician, may now authorize a citation when cameras catch a driver speeding.

Police also are now prohibited from using speed camera photos for anything else than appropriate traffic enforcement (HB 516) and must destroy records of any vehicles captured on camera that didn’t violate traffic laws. The law also says those images must be removed from records after five years.

Drivers licenses were impacted by two new laws. One (HB 189) disqualifies commercial driver’s license holders who are convicted of driving under the influence from operating a commercial motor vehicle for one year. Another called Eric’s ID Law (HB 707) gives drivers the option to include on their driver’s license that they have a non-apparent disability.

Yet another car-related law (HB 470) outlaws the use of a license plate cover to obscure or block any numbers, or to distort or block the plate for traffic cameras in a manner than may prevent identification. The bill also established that police can only enforce this violation as a secondary action when a driver is detained for a primary reason.

Some laws ended roadway restrictions instead of tightening them. For truckers hauling milk, one new law (SB 203) creates an exception for vehicles carrying fluid milk products. They’re now allowed to drive on the interstate highway system, which was previously prohibited and had drawn the ire of dairy farmers.