{"id":473,"date":"2022-06-13T11:53:12","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T18:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/?p=473"},"modified":"2026-05-18T09:45:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:45:34","slug":"what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/","title":{"rendered":"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Rear<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

There is a wide range of traffic offenses in the state of Maryland, each with a variety of consequences scaled to the severity of the corresponding offense. Regardless of whether you were involved in a minor infraction or have been accused of a more serious offense, there is no question that anxiety can creep in during the aftermath of a traffic related offense. In this blog, we outline the consequences associated with each level of traffic offenses, and steps you can take to keep those consequences at a minimum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Criminal Traffic Offenses in the State of Maryland<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From least severe to most severe, infractions, misdemeanors,\nand felonies are the three types of traffic offenses Maryland drivers could\nfind themselves charged with. As alluded to earlier, each charge will be met\nwith a specific set of consequences tied to the specifics of the charge.\nUltimately, all charges will be meet with either a payable offense or a\nmust-appear offense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payable Offenses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the state of Maryland, common traffic infractions include\nrunning stop signs, driving over the speed limit, or illegally turning while a\ntraffic light is red. Naturally, these mistakes can be attributed to a one-time\nmistake or even a moment of negligence. As such, traffic infractions are\ngenerally met with the option to plead guilty, pay a required fine, and bypass\nthe need to appear in court. In the event that you believe you are innocent and\nhave committed no offense, you also have the option to plead not guilty and\nrequest a trial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find yourself unsure of the best choice for your\nsituation, consider speaking with an attorney experienced in handling traffic\noffenses similar to your own! After reviewing the specifics of your case, we\nwould be happy to offer advice on the ideal route forward and serve as your\nally along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must-Appear Offenses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For criminal traffic offenses, including DUI, driving with a\nsuspended license, and hit and run, a court appearance is not optional. While\nworking with an attorney is optional in the case of a traffic infraction, we\nimplore you to seek legal counsel with more serious misdemeanor and felony\ncharges. In addition to fines, you could be subject to incarceration, court\nappointed community service time, and a criminal charge on your record. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Law Office of Elizabeth Anu Lawrence Can Help You Minimize Criminal\nTraffic Offense Consequences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are facts about each specific case that can significantly reduce penalties if an experienced attorney who understands this area of law presents the case. The Law Office of Elizabeth A. Lawrence offers high-quality legal representation, personal attention, and professionalism to help defend the harsh penalties of DWIs, DUIs, and other serious traffic offenses in Maryland and District of Columbia. Click here<\/a> or call (410) 986-0088 to consult with an experienced attorney today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you been charged with a criminal traffic offense in Maryland? In this blog, we cover the potential consequences and the ideal path forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-traffic-offense"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Have you been charged with a criminal traffic offense in Maryland? In this blog, we cover the potential consequences and the ideal path forward.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have you been charged with a criminal traffic offense in Maryland? In this blog, we cover the potential consequences and the ideal path forward.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-13T18:53:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T16:45:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hploski\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hploski\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"hploski\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bdbe6dff5f0615d3c6dfacad4b17af03\"},\"headline\":\"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-13T18:53:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-18T16:45:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":473,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Traffic Offense\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-13T18:53:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-18T16:45:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bdbe6dff5f0615d3c6dfacad4b17af03\"},\"description\":\"Have you been charged with a criminal traffic offense in Maryland? In this blog, we cover the potential consequences and the ideal path forward.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blog Law Office of Elizabeth Lawrence\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/elawrencelaw.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bdbe6dff5f0615d3c6dfacad4b17af03\",\"name\":\"hploski\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/25ac43d548e00eb49f5a87e87c3a3ecfe812f88c757d6534b1cd279cd6bbc3e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/25ac43d548e00eb49f5a87e87c3a3ecfe812f88c757d6534b1cd279cd6bbc3e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/25ac43d548e00eb49f5a87e87c3a3ecfe812f88c757d6534b1cd279cd6bbc3e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"hploski\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?","description":"Have you been charged with a criminal traffic offense in Maryland? In this blog, we cover the potential consequences and the ideal path forward.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?","og_description":"Have you been charged with a criminal traffic offense in Maryland? In this blog, we cover the potential consequences and the ideal path forward.","og_url":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/","article_published_time":"2022-06-13T18:53:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-18T16:45:34+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"hploski","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"hploski","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/"},"author":{"name":"hploski","@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bdbe6dff5f0615d3c6dfacad4b17af03"},"headline":"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?","datePublished":"2022-06-13T18:53:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-18T16:45:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/"},"wordCount":473,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg","articleSection":["Traffic Offense"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/","url":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/","name":"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg","datePublished":"2022-06-13T18:53:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-18T16:45:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bdbe6dff5f0615d3c6dfacad4b17af03"},"description":"Have you been charged with a criminal traffic offense in Maryland? In this blog, we cover the potential consequences and the ideal path forward.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Criminal-Traffic-Offense.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/what-constitutes-a-criminal-traffic-offense\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Constitutes a Criminal Traffic Offense?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/","name":"Blog Law Office of Elizabeth Lawrence","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bdbe6dff5f0615d3c6dfacad4b17af03","name":"hploski","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ac43d548e00eb49f5a87e87c3a3ecfe812f88c757d6534b1cd279cd6bbc3e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ac43d548e00eb49f5a87e87c3a3ecfe812f88c757d6534b1cd279cd6bbc3e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ac43d548e00eb49f5a87e87c3a3ecfe812f88c757d6534b1cd279cd6bbc3e6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"hploski"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":976,"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473\/revisions\/976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}