These new laws took effect Oct. 1.
FREDERICK, Md. (BW)- Several new bills took effect in Maryland on Saturday, Oct. 1.
There are nine new laws that were added.
Senate Bill 176 requires children under the age of 2 to be secured in a rear-facing car seat and requires drivers to adhere to manufacturer specifications.
Christine Nizer, the administrator for the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) said that rear-facing car seats are the best protection for a child’s head neck in the event of a crash.
Senate Bill 218 allows MDOT MVA to now issue a temporary driver’s license renewal for up to two years. Prior to this law MDOT MVA could only issue up to two 45-day extensions.
Nizer said that this new law allows greater flexibility for neccesarry cases of driver’s license renewals, including military deployments, medical problems and studying abroad.
Other laws that took effect include Senate Bill 147, the move over law, which requires drivers to move over or slow down when approaching a vehicle parked on the side of the road with its hazard lights.
House Bill 222 states that anyone driving slower than the general speed of traffic on an interstate highway in a rural area must travel in the right-most lane. Signs will posted on appropriate roads.
More information can be found through the MDOT MVA’s office.