Maryland Failure to Produce License Lawyer
There are certain offenses that drivers on Maryland roadways can be charged with that are not necessarily traffic violations. If you are pulled over by law enforcement officials and you do not have your license with you, you may be ticketed for failure to produce a license. If you are ticketed for a traffic infraction and then you miss your date in court, you may also be charged with failure to appear. These charges may seem insignificant, but they do carry penalties that can have serious negative impacts on your life.
What is Failure to Produce a License in Maryland?
In some cases, a person gets pulled over and cannot seem to locate their critically important driver’s license. The license may simply have been left at home or fallen down in a crack of the car seat. Regardless, your failure to produce your license might result in a citation by the officer who stopped you. However, it is important that you ensure the citation is appropriate for the crime.
A police officer might try to charge you with driving without a license, a much more serious, albeit inappropriate, charge. If you have a valid driver’s license issued by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), but you were unable to produce it when requested by a police officer, then you should only be charged with a minor “failure to produce license” violation.
What Are The Penalties for Failing to Produce a License in Maryland?
Unlike driving without a license, which can result in jail time and large fines, a failure to produce violation only requires payment of a $50 fine. The difference between the two offenses is vast, and if you believe you’ve been inappropriately charged, it’s crucial that you reach out to an experienced Maryland defense attorney to fight on your behalf.
Contact a Maryland Traffic Lawyer
Hiring an experienced Maryland defense attorney if you are facing charges of failure to produce a license or failure to appear is critical and can possibly keep you out of jail. There are usually perfectly reasonable explanations for these offenses, such as forgetting your driver’s license at home or not appearing in court because of a change of address, a health condition, or another legitimate excuse that needs to be explained to the court. Just remember that if you missed a court appearance it is important not to let the situation get worse. You will not be able to renew your driver’s license or vehicle registration until the matter is resolved and could wind up in even more trouble than if you tackled the problem head-on.
Call experienced Maryland traffic lawyer Seth Okin if you have been charged with failure to produce a license or failure to appear. He is highly skilled at defending such charges and can guide you through the court process with ease. Contact his Maryland law office today at (410) 782-0742 for a free consultation.