In an effort to promote awareness of state traffic laws, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office posts excerpts of the 2018-2019 edition of The Maryland Vehicle Law Annotated on Tuesdays.
Adhering to the law will make roadways in St. Mary’s County and in Maryland safer for drivers, passengers, bicyclists, horse-and-buggy operators and pedestrians.
#TrafficTipTuesdays
Dangerous items on a highway
Sec. 21-1111: Putting glass, injurious substances, or refuse on highway or bridge or in waters prohibited
“A person may not drop, throw, or place on a highway any glass bottle, glass, nails, tacks, wire, cans, or any other substance likely to injure any person, animal, or vehicle on the highway.”
“Any person who drops, throws, or places or permits to be dropped, thrown, or placed on a highway any destructive, hazardous, or injurious material immediately shall remove it or cause it to be removed.”
“Any person removing a wrecked or damaged vehicle from a highway also shall remove from the highway any glass or other injurious substance dropped from the vehicle.”
“A person may not throw, dump, discharge, or deposit any trash, junk, or other refuse on any highway or public bridge or in any public waters.”
Responsibility: “The owner of the vehicle, if present in the vehicle, or, in his absence, the driver of the vehicle is presumed to be responsible for any violation of this section if: (1) The violation is caused by an occupant of the vehicle; (2) The vehicle has two or more occupants; and (3) It cannot be determined which occupant is the violator.”
The fines for these violations are $140 and two points assessed on a driver’s license or $180 and three points if contributing to an accident.
