Here are some Traffic Safety Laws you need to know

Driving Safely in Maryland

We hope your stay in our state is pleasant. Our highways are among the finest and safest in the nation. You can help preserve our outstanding highway safety record and better insure your own safety:

• Stay alert and give driving your full attention.
• Show courtesy to other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists
• Comply with traffic laws and heed all traffic signs, signals and markings
• Don't drive aggressively

Maryland has important traffic safety laws that ensure your safety and the safety of citizens and visitors:

• Every child under eight years old must be secured in a U.S. DOT-approved child safety seat unless the child is 4 feet, 9 inches or taller, or weighs more than 65 pounds. Children and young people up to 16 years of age must be secured in seat belts or child safety seats, regardless of their seating position. Children should ride secured in the rear seat. Drivers and front-seat passengers, regardless of their age, must wear seat belts. It is strongly recommended that all occupants wear seat belts.
• Motorcycle drivers and passengers must wear U.S. DOT-approved helmets. Drivers must wear eye protection, as well.
• Maryland law strictly forbids driving while impaired by alcohol or other drugs. The alcohol limit for DUI is set at .07 blood alcohol concentration, one of the lowest in the nation. Our laws for impaired driving are strictly enforced and our penalties are severe. The minimum lawful drinking age is 21 years.
• Vehicles must stop for school buses when their red flashers are on (except when the buses are on the opposite side of a highway divided by a barrier or median strip).
• Right turn on red: After stopping for pedestrians or vehicles, you may make a right turn (or left turn from a one-way street to another one-way street) while the signal is red, except where prohibited.