Question: Can you explain the MVA hearing in Maryland?
Answer: The MVA hearing in a DUI stop is very important because it impacts your ability to drive your car following a stop and arrest for a DUI. Now, in Maryland, when you’re arrested and given a charge of DUI or DWI and you have either blown in the machine a 0.08% or higher, or if you refuse to blow, then the MVA—which is completely different than the criminal court—but the MVA is going to take certain consequences or actions against your drivers license. And, if you desire to fight those consequences or to get them modified in any way, then you must request and MVA hearing. They will not set a hearing in for you unless you do that. Now, in Maryland that needs to be done within 10 days of your stop and arrest, which does not give you a lot of time.
Therefore, if driving is an important part of your life—if your employment requires it or if you need to drive to get to work or if you have a family, responsibilities and you need to drive—then it’s incumbent upon you and very important that you seek out competent DUI counsel very quickly to analyze your case and see if an MVA hearing would benefit you. If it is properly filed quickly, within 10 days, and you pay the $150 charge that the MVA requests in order to set the hearing in, then you will properly protect your driving privilege in Maryland until your hearing. The MVA hearings take about three months to get, and you can drive up until your hearing, even though the piece of paper they gave you that day, the day of your arrest, indicates that it expires in 45 days.
When you timely request a hearing, you will get an extension letter in the mail. Of course, my office will help you with all of that. We will actually help you with the filing of the document, making sure that it gets there on time, and the scheduling of the hearing. And then we take you to the hearing and the purpose of the hearing, of course, is to see if there will be any suspension whatsoever based on the facts, and to get you any proper modifications that may be available to you.
Popular DUI/DWI Topics
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Free Case Evaluation
DUI/DWI Defenses and Court
› What are some common tactics that you use to get a DUI case reduced or dismissed in Maryland?
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› Are there alternative or therapeutic courts available in Maryland?
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› DUI Charge & Pleading No Contest
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Penalties
› Can you explain the penalties for a first offense DUI in Maryland?
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› What is the average cost of a Maryland ignition interlock device?
› DUI Accidental Death Penalties
› DUI Causing Injury Penalties
Roadside Test & Police
› What happens if you refuse the roadside breath test in Maryland?
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› Are Maryland police reports ever inaccurate?
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› DUI Roadblocks or Checkpoints
› Odor of Alcohol & DUI Reports
Laws
› What does probable cause mean in Maryland?
› Can you explain what “per se” means in Maryland?
› What does implied consent mean in Maryland?
› Can a Maryland DUI/DWI charge affect my right to vote, carry a weapon, or other rights?
› Noah’s Law Impact on DUI Cases
Field Sobriety Tests & Defenses
› Is refusing to take a breath test considered a criminal act in Maryland?
› Are there ways to contest the blood test in Maryland?
› What are the repercussions for refusing the official state breath test in Maryland?
› What is the impact of a BAC number whether it is above or below a .08 in Maryland?
› Can a fever affect a Maryland DUI blood or breath test?
› Can the way a person blows into the Maryland breath test machine impact the results?
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› Can I request an independent breath or blood test in Maryland?
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› Required to Take Field Sobriety Tests
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FAQ
› What is the first thing a person should do after a DUI/DWI arrest in Maryland?
› What can you do to be proactive about your pending DUI case in Maryland?
› Do I need to hire an attorney from the area in which I got the DUI?
› Can you explain a rising blood alcohol level in Maryland?
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› Difference Between DUI and DWI
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› Represent Medical Doctor at Disciplinary Hearing
› DUI Charge but Live in another State
Non-Driving DUI
› Do I have to be driving a vehicle to be charged with DUI in Maryland?
› What are the factors considered in a non-driving DUI case in Maryland?
› How might a keyless ignition impact a non-driving DUI charge in Maryland?
Drug Related Offenses
› Can you explain drugged driving in Maryland?
› How do Maryland police show impairment in marijuana DUI cases?
› Prescribed Medication & Impaired Driving
About the Firm
› What sets Bruce Robinson & Associates apart from other DUI/DWI attorneys and firms in Maryland?
› What made you interested in practicing law and DUI defense specifically?
› Can you discuss several of your most recent Maryland DUI/DWI case wins?
› What sets Bruce Robinson apart from other DUI attorneys in Maryland?