Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed multiple bills into law this week, including legislation to prohibit illegal street racing, exhibition driving, and car meetups on public roads, city centers, and shopping centers.
The law, which takes effect on June 1, introduces harsher penalties for drivers and participants arrested and convicted of engaging in such activities, according to a press release from Olney-based advocacy group Maryland Coalition for Roadway Safety, which lobbied for the bill.
Under the new law, individuals accused of these offenses must appear in court, with convicted violators facing increased points on their licenses, ranging from 8 or more, potentially leading to suspension or revocation of their driving privileges.
The fine for participating in illegal street contests has also been doubled to $1,000.
Senator Pamela Beidle (D-District 32) and Delegate Mary Lehman (D-District 21) introduced legislation “Street Racing and Exhibition Driving—Prohibited Acts, Enforcement, and Penalties” in the 2024 Maryland General Assembly. The legislation received overwhelming bipartisan support from the Senate and the House of Delegates, passing with a 45-0 vote in the Senate (SB 442) and a 129-7 vote in the House of Delegates (HB 601).
During session hearings, Senator Beidle reported that 139 major exhibition driving incidents occurred in Maryland in 2023, including downtown Silver Spring and Takoma Park. Delegate Lehman described these dangerous stunt and speed events as growing in scale and posing risks to communities, law enforcement, participants, and bystanders trapped in street blockades.
AAA Mid-Atlantic has long advocated for the measure. Ragina Ali, the auto club’s Public and Government Affairs Manager for Maryland and Washington, D.C., also testified, “AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety research found that even slightly higher speeds during a crash dramatically increase the chances of severe injury and death. These dangerous illegal street races exacerbate those risks, endangering everyone, including spectators. The reckless and irresponsible actions of those who treat our roads as a racetrack result in traffic disruptions and fatalities.”
“Thanks to the unified willpower for road and street safety demonstrated today by our elected State officials, with the stroke of his pen, Governor Moore knocked down the ‘Welcome to Maryland’ sign for perpetrators of organized, criminal exhibition driving violence,” Maryland Coalition for Roadway Safety chair John Seng said Thursday.
“Maryland lawmakers decided that safety and calm on roads and in communities really matters,” Seng said. “Continued roadway, shopping center, and city center disruptions will not be tolerated. Violators will suffer significant penalties.”
Photo: © Lukas Gojda – stock.adobe.com / U.S. Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons