Workgroup on Aging Out of Foster Care
HB0915, titled the Out-of-State Driver Accountability Act, expands Maryland’s automated traffic enforcement framework to better track and collect unpaid citations issued to vehicles registered outside Maryland. It requires county and municipal automated enforcement programs to file quarterly reports with the Vision Zero coordinator identifying citations issued to out-of-state vehicles, including the plate number, state of registration, payment status, and whether the citation is past due. The reports must also be updated over time and include cumulative totals of citations issued, paid, and overdue.
The bill also authorizes the Attorney General or the appropriate local State’s Attorney to file civil actions in Maryland courts to recover unpaid and overdue traffic citations involving District of Columbia residents or D.C.-registered vehicles. In those actions, the State may seek payment of fines, attorney’s fees, suspension or revocation of driving privileges in Maryland, and immobilization of the vehicle through towing, impoundment, or booting, subject to limits in the bill for citations that are contested, not yet due, paid, or under a non-defaulted installment plan.
HB0915 amends the Transportation Article by adding new reporting and enforcement provisions for automated traffic enforcement and by renumbering existing sections. It affects county and municipal camera-based enforcement programs, the Vision Zero coordinator, the Attorney General, local State’s Attorneys, and out-of-state motorists—especially District of Columbia drivers and vehicle owners. The bill is intended to improve collection of unpaid citations and strengthen enforcement against nonresident violators, while aligning with Maryland’s Vision Zero traffic safety goals.
The bill appears generally favorable in tone, with the House committee reporting it favorably with amendments and the House adopting it. The stated policy rationale is public safety and accountability, particularly reducing dangerous driving and unpaid citations that may encourage repeat violations. The preamble frames the measure as a response to the District of Columbia’s STEER Act and as part of Maryland’s effort to reduce roadway deaths and serious injuries.
The main point of contention is interstate enforcement and reciprocity, especially the bill’s focus on District of Columbia residents and D.C.-registered vehicles in response to D.C.’s own enforcement authority. Supporters emphasize fairness, citation collection, and road safety, while the underlying concern is that out-of-state drivers may evade payment or consequences. The bill also raises due process and enforcement questions by allowing civil actions and vehicle immobilization, though it limits those remedies for citations that are contested, not yet due, paid, or in compliant installment plans.