EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1025*
HOUSE BILL 1025
R4 2lr2580
By: Delegate Forbes
Introduced and read first time: February 10, 2022
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Vehicle Laws – Driver Education – Self–Paced, Online Instruction 2
FOR the purpose of authorizing certain individuals to satisfy the classroom instruction 3
component necessary for obtaining a provisional driver’s license by completing 4
certain self–paced, online driver education instruction approved by the Motor 5
Vehicle Administration; requiring certain regulations adopted by the Administration 6
to include standards for self–paced, online driver education instruction; and 7
generally relating to self–paced, online driver education instruction. 8
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
Article – Transportation 10
Section 16–105(d)(2) 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 13
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
Article – Transportation 15
Section 16–105(d)(3) through (5) and 16–505 16
Annotated Code of Maryland 17
(2020 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 18
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
Article – Transportation 21
16–105. 22
(d) (2) Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, an individual 23
under the age of 19 years who holds a learner’s instructional permit may not take a driver 24
skills examination or driver road examination for a provisional license: 25 2 HOUSE BILL 1025
(i) Sooner than 9 months following the later of: 1
1. The date that the individual first obtains the learner’s 2
instructional permit; or 3
2. The most recent date the individual was convicted of, or 4
granted probation before judgment under § 6–220 of the Criminal Procedure Article for, a 5
moving violation; 6
(ii) Until after successful completion of: 7
1. The driver education program approved under Subtitle 5 8
of this title, consisting of at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and at least 6 hours of 9
highway driving instruction; and 10
2. At least 60 hours, 10 hours of which must occur during the 11
period beginning 30 minutes before sunset and ending 30 minutes after sunrise, of 12
behind–the–wheel driving practice supervised by an individual who: 13
A. Holds a valid driver’s license; 14
B. Is at least 21 years old; and 15
C. Has been licensed to drive for at least 3 years; and 16
(iii) Unless the individual submits, in accordance with the 17
Administration’s regulations, a completed skills log book signed by: 18
1. Each supervising driver who certifies that the individual 19
has satisfactorily demonstrated a required skill and has completed the driving practice 20
requirements of item (ii)2 of this paragraph; and 21
2. If a signature of a parent, guardian, or other person is 22
required under § 16–107 of this subtitle, the parent, guardian, or other person who signs 23
the individual’s application under that section. 24
(3) An individual who holds a learner’s instructional permit and who is 18 25
years old and has a high school diploma or its equivalent or is at least 19 years old but 26
under the age of 25 years may not take a driver skills examination or driver road 27
examination for a provisional license: 28
(i) Sooner than the later of: 29
1. 3 months following the date that the individual first 30
obtains the learner’s instructional permit; or 31
HOUSE BILL 1025 3
2. 9 months following the most recent date the individual 1
was convicted of, or granted probation before judgment for, a moving violation; 2
(ii) Until after successful completion of: 3
1. A. A standard driver education program approved 4
under Subtitle 5 of this title, consisting of at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and at 5
least 6 hours of highway driving instruction; OR 6
B. FOR AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS AT LEAST 21 YEARS OLD 7
BUT UNDER THE AGE OF 25 YEARS, A STANDARD SELF –PACED, ONLINE DRIVER 8
EDUCATION PROGRAM AP PROVED UNDER SUBTITLE 5 OF THIS TITLE, CONSISTING 9
OF AT LEAST 30 HOURS OF ONLINE INSTRUCTIO N AND AT LEAST 6 HOURS OF 10
HIGHWAY DRIVING INST RUCTION; and 11
2. At least 60 hours, 10 hours of which must occur during the 12
period beginning 30 minutes before sunset and ending 30 minutes after sunrise, of 13
behind–the–wheel driving practice supervised by an individual who: 14
A. Holds a valid driver’s license; 15
B. Is at least 21 years old; and 16
C. Has been licensed to drive for at least 3 years; and 17
(iii) Unless the individual submits, in accordance with the 18
Administration’s regulations, a completed skills log book signed by each supervising driver 19
who certifies that the individual has satisfactorily demonstrated a required skill and has 20
completed the driving practice requirements under this paragraph. 21
(4) An individual at least 25 years old who holds a learner’s instructional 22
permit and has not been convicted of, or granted probation before judgment for, a moving 23
violation may not take a driver skills examination or driver road examination for a 24
provisional license: 25
(i) Sooner than 45 days following the date that the individual first 26
obtains the learner’s instructional permit; 27
(ii) Until after successful completion of: 28
1. A. A standard driver education program approved 29
under Subtitle 5 of this title, consisting of at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and at 30
least 6 hours of highway driving instruction; OR 31
B. A STANDARD SELF–PACED, ONLINE DRIVER 32
EDUCATION PROGRAM AP PROVED UNDER SUBTITLE 5 OF THIS TITLE, CONSISTING 33 4 HOUSE BILL 1025
OF AT LEAST 30 HOURS OF ONLINE INSTRUCTION AND AT LEAST 6 HOURS OF 1
HIGHWAY DRIVING INST RUCTION; and 2
2. At least 14 hours, 3 hours of which must occur during the 3
period beginning 30 minutes before sunset and ending 30 minutes after sunrise, of 4
behind–the–wheel driving practice supervised by an individual who: 5
A. Holds a valid driver’s license; 6
B. Is at least 21 years old; and 7
C. Has been licensed to drive for at least 3 years; and 8
(iii) Unless the individual submits, in accordance with the 9
Administration’s regulations, a completed skills log book signed by each supervising driver 10
who certifies that the individual has satisfactorily demonstrated a required skill and has 11
completed the driving practice requirements under this paragraph. 12
(5) An individual at least 25 years old who holds a learner’s instructional 13
permit and has been convicted of, or granted probation before judgment for, at least one 14
moving violation may not take a driver skills examination or driver road examination for a 15
provisional license: 16
(i) Sooner than 9 months following the most recent date the 17
individual was convicted of, or granted probation before judgment for, a moving violation; 18
(ii) Until after successful completion of: 19
1. A. A standard driver education program approved 20
under Subtitle 5 of this title, consisting of at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and at 21
least 6 hours of highway driving instruction; OR 22
B. A STANDARD SELF–PACED, ONLINE DRIVER 23
EDUCATION PROGRAM AP PROVED UNDER SUBTITLE 5 OF THIS TITLE, CONSISTING 24
OF AT LEAST 30 HOURS OF ONLINE INSTRUCTION AND AT LEAST 6 HOURS OF 25
HIGHWAY DRIVING INST RUCTION; and 26
2. At least 14 hours, 3 hours of which must occur during the 27
period beginning 30 minutes before sunset and ending 30 minutes after sunrise, of 28
behind–the–wheel driving practice supervised by an individual who: 29
A. Holds a valid driver’s license; 30
B. Is at least 21 years old; and 31
C. Has been licensed to drive for at least 3 years; and 32 HOUSE BILL 1025 5
(iii) Unless the individual submits, in accordance with the 1
Administration’s regulations, a completed skills log book signed by each supervising driver 2
who certifies that the individual has satisfactorily demonstrated a required skill and has 3
completed the driving practice requirements under this paragraph. 4
16–505. 5
(a) The Administration shall, in consultation with the State Department of 6
Education, adopt and enforce regulations not inconsistent with this subtitle to implement 7
a standardized driver education program conducted by driver education schools under its 8
jurisdiction. 9
(b) Regulations adopted under this section shall be administered by the 10
Administration and shall include: 11
(1) Curriculum, equipment, and fa cility standards for classroom, 12
laboratory, and on–road instruction phases; 13
(2) Minimum student performance standards for an approved driver 14
education program based upon the standardized curriculum approved by the 15
Administration, consisting of at least 30 hours of classroom OR SELF–PACED, ONLINE 16
instruction and at least 6 hours of highway driving instruction; 17
(3) Standards for the certification of schools and instructors; 18
(4) A system to evaluate the effectiveness of the driver education program; 19
(5) Standards governing the required offering of the driver education 20
program, based on the capacity, enrollment, staff, and facilities of the schools; and 21
(6) Standards for the eligibility of individuals to enroll in the program. 22
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 23
October 1, 2022. 24