Most of the many rules and laws that the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) enforces are listed below. These rules and laws apply to drivers of all ages and stages, but older drivers must follow some extra rules and limits.
Notably, drivers over 40 have to pass an eye test every time they renew their license.
Also, people aged 70 and up who are applying for their first license must show proof that they have previously driven a car safely or a doctor’s certificate of health. Read “How to Apply for a Maryland Driver’s License” to find information that is specific to your case.
Maryland’s rules for renewing an older driver’s license
People over 40 who want to renew their cards have to follow certain rules:
- Drivers aged 40 and up must update their licenses every five years, unless they get a different notice from the MVA.
- All drivers aged 40 and up must take a vision test every time they update their license. The MVA will do a test for free, or drivers can get
- one done by an outside ophthalmologist or optometrist, but that doctor must fill out a Vision Screening Form and do the test within 12 months of the request to repeat.
- Drivers can also get the test done by providers named on the MVA Online Vision Certification Service. These providers are authorized to send test results electronically.
- If the MVA sees signs of driver impairment, a written test may be needed at renewal time.
- A road test is only needed if the MVA finds signs that the driver is impaired.
Possible Limits on the License
After giving someone a driving test and talking to them about possible limits, the MVA can put conditions or restrictions on their driver’s license.
Most of the time, older drivers can’t drive if they need glasses or corrective contact lenses.
In Maryland, the MVA may also make older drivers follow these other usual rules:
- Not going on the freeway
- adding an extra right-side mirror to a car
- no driving at night limits on times of the day, like not driving during rush hour traffic, helps to make sure you’re in the right position to
- drive, and wear bioptic telescopic lenses while driving.
- How to Ask Maryland to Look into a Driver Who Isn’t Safe
- Different parts of Maryland have different ways to report a driver who isn’t safe. For more information, call the MVA office in your area.
How to Get Your License Back
You can call the MVA’s Driver Wellness and Safety Division at 410-768-7000 or 301-729-4563 (TTY) or go to the office at 6601 Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie and ask for your license to be restored. Your full name, address, date of birth, and driver’s license number will be needed.
Ways for a disabled driver to get license plates or parking signs
Drivers who have trouble moving around can get disability parking placards and license plates if a qualified doctor, nurse practitioner, chiropractor, or podiatrist certifies their condition.
Also, the plates and signs can be bought by people who:
- have very bad lung disease
- suffer from serious heart disease
- people who can’t walk 200 feet without stopping to rest or who need a brace, cane, stick, someone else, a prosthetic device, or some other kind of help device to get them there.
- need wheelchairs to get around
- lose an arm, hand, foot, or leg; can’t use an arm, hand, foot, or leg; have a permanent disability so bad that they would have to go
- through a lot of trouble or risk getting hurt if they weren’t given a disability plate or sign; or have a permanent disability that makes both eyes very bad.
To get a disabled plate or sign, you must do the following:
Fill out and sign an application for Maryland parking placards or license plates for disabled people:
- If you don’t lose the use of an arm, hand, foot, or leg, have a qualified doctor, nurse practitioner, chiropractor, physician’s assistant, or podiatrist fill out the Disability Certification Information part of the application.
- The form can be sent to the Motor Vehicle Administration, Disability Unit, Room 202, 6601 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie, MD 21062, or brought to a full-service MVA office. Include any fees that are due.
- Find Out More About Maryland’s Rules for Seniors Who Drive
- Maryland drivers can find a lot of useful information on the MVA website, such as links to the rules that apply and driver license handbooks in several languages.
The “Maryland Driver’s Manual,” which can be downloaded, is especially useful because it tells you how to get a driver’s license, register your car, and follow the rules of the road in Maryland.
How to Get Help from a Lawyer
If you need help with a car accident or traffic ticket, you can look through the free lawyer listings on Lawyers.com or Avvo.com, which are both owned by Nolo.