- New tiered fines for Maryland speed cameras range from $40 to $425.
- Reckless driving penalties expand under the Sgt. Patrick Kepp Act.
- Changes reflect Maryland’s broader “Zero Deaths” road safety initiative.
Maryland wants to achieve a time when nobody dies on the roads there. It sounds idealistic, maybe even far-fetched, but the state is leaning hard into new laws it hopes will bring that vision closer. Starting this month, a tiered system for speeding tickets has come into effect, and some violations will now cost as much as $425.
There’s also a fresh definition of reckless driving, one that officially folds speeding into the category for the first time.
Read: Drivers Caught Off Guard As County’s Speed Cameras Issue 1,000 Tickets A Day
Under the new law, speed camera violations are divided into five tiers. Driving 12 to 15 mph over the limit now earns a $40 fine. Go 16 to 19 mph over, and it jumps to $70. At 20 to 29 mph above the limit, drivers owe $120. Anyone caught between 30 and 39 mph over pays $230, and those who push beyond that face a $425 ticket.
That’s a dramatic shift from before October, when all tickets were just $40, whether one was going 12 mph or 120 mph over the limit.
The new law also falls in line with a tiered system for speeding tickets in work zones that went into effect at the start of 2025. In those cases, fines can be as high as $1,000 if workers are present.
When Speed Crosses the Line
Maryland also began a new program in October that now includes speeding at 30 mph over the limit as reckless driving.
Offenders could face up to 60 days in jail, fines of up to $1,000, and six license points. Importantly, an officer has to see the infraction and issue a ticket directly. Similar violations only caught by the speed camera are considered civil violations.
The law also directs the State Highway Administration to form a workgroup analyzing speed monitoring in school zones, including crash data, camera placement, and best practices for safety. The group’s findings must be presented to lawmakers by December.
Fair Rules or Heavy Hand?
Locals who spoke to WMAR 2 News were split on whether or not the new laws made sense. “I’m not worried about it due to the fact that I’m not a speeder and if you’re not a speeder it has nothing to do with you. You’ll know who your speeders are cause they’ll be really upset,” said one woman.
“I think it’s a little ridiculous things are getting so high nowadays, people can’t even afford to buy food anymore but also people do need to slow down because we’re having a lot of unnecessary accidents,” said one man.
Whatever one’s take, the conclusion is simple enough. Driving too fast in Maryland now carries a much higher price than before.
Credit: Elovate
