Motor Vehicle Administration Hearings

Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) hearings are a part of Maryland Attorney Rene Sandler's regular practice. The sanctions at the MVA are serious and require the knowledge and skill of an experienced advocate to navigate through the complicated area of administrative and criminal/traffic laws.

In Maryland, the MVA is an independent agency that determines whether a driver will lose his or her driver's license or privilege after an alcohol related driving offense or other serious infraction on a person's driver's license. It is quite possible for a driver to have as many as two hearings before the MVA for a single drunk driving case.

The penalties in Maryland for taking a breath test after a DUI and the refusal to take a breath test are drastically different. The penalty in Maryland for submitting to the breath test and recording a test result of .08 but less than .15 is 45 days for a first offense and 90 days for a subsequent offense. In some cases, a person is eligible for a restricted driver’s license. The penalty in Maryland for a test result of .15 or more is 90 days for a first offense and 180 days for a subsequent offense, however a person is not eligible for a modification of his or her driver’s license.

The penalty in Maryland for refusing to take the breath test is a mandatory license suspension for 120 days for a first offense and one year for a subsequent offense. In some cases, instead of a license suspension a person may be allowed to drive if he or she installs and maintains an interlock device on their car for one year.