MD - pulled over in HOV lane. Is point deduction automatic? Can I fight it?

[dannyfal]

Jurisdiction

Maryland

Hello, I got pulled over and ticketed in an HOV lane on the 495 beltway in Maryland. I am curious if anyone knows if there is automatically a point deducted from the license if you admit guilt or if I can try and fight the point in court (I don't mind paying the fee).

My clean driving record is tied to my occupation and any future jobs I would want to apply to. I have no other tickets in over 15+ years either. When I asked the cop who pulled me over he said he didn't know about the points and it's up to the MVA?

 

[army judge]

Maryland is strict—and has a long memory—when it comes to points on your driving record.

Points stay on your Maryland record for a varied amount of time after the date of your conviction, depending on the severity of the offense.

The state will expunge your record by:

• 31 daysafter your most recent conviction date for motorists who have:
  • Never had their license suspended for driver safety-related reasons.
  • Never had a license revocation.
  • No moving violations on their records.
• 3 years after your last moving violation conviction date for drivers who have:
  • Never had a license suspension for driver safety reasons.
  • Never had a license revocation.
  • Moving violations on their record.
• 5 yearsafter your last moving violation conviction date for drivers who have:
  • Only had their driver's license suspended 1 time for reasons of driver safety.
  • Never had a license revocation.
• 10 yearsafter your most recent moving violation conviction date or grant of probation before judgement in certain cases for drivers with:
  • Multiple license suspensions.
  • Previous license revocations.

Records INELIGIBLE for expungement include any:

• Active or pending license suspension.
• Fatal accident-related suspensions.
• Violations related to alcohol.
• Violation substantially similar, or identical, to those listed above.
• Entries required for assessment of subsequent offender penalties.

Maryland MVA Point System & Penalties | DMV.ORG

Everything you need to know about the Maryland point system and how traffic tickets can affect your MVA driving record.

www.dmv.org

=============================>

What actions will the MVA take if I have accumulated a lot of points?

The MVA may take different actions depending upon the number of points you've accumulated during the previous 2 years. Your driver record is reviewed for accumulated points each time the MVA adds more points to your record. See Point Accumulation for details.

Note that if you obtain a copy of your driver record some time after the MVA takes an action such as suspending your license, the number of points showing on the record (referred to as "current" points) could be different than the number of points indicated on your suspension letter. This can happen because points may have been added or expunged after the letter was sent.

How long will points remain on my driver record?

Points remain on your driver record until they are officially expunged by the MVA. See Driver Record Expungement by Request for more information. However, after 2 years from the violation date, the points are no longer considered "current" points.

Fees:

• There are no fees associated with the assessment of points.

Contact Information:

MVA
Administrative Adjudication Division
6601 Ritchie Highway, NE
Glen Burnie, MD 21062
MVA Customer Service Center: 1-410-768-7000

 

[adjusterjack]

I am curious if anyone knows if there is automatically a point deducted from the license if you admit guilt

Yes.

or if I can try and fight the point in court

There's nothing to fight. You were in the HOV lane when you shouldn't have been.

(I don't mind paying the fee).

Then you wouldn't mind paying an attorney's fee to learn your options.

It's the point on your license that is the punishment, not the fee. The point can (as you say) affect your job. And will result in higher insurance rates.

Call the court and find out if taking driving school can get the citation dismissed. I searched but couldn't find anything about it.