Quick answer: Reckless driving in Glen Burnie is a must-appear criminal misdemeanor under Md. Code, Transp. § 21-901.1(a), carrying 6 points, up to 60 days in jail, and a fine up to $1,000. Since the Sergeant Patrick Kepp Act took effect October 1, 2025, driving 30 mph or more over the limit is automatically reckless. A Glen Burnie reckless driving lawyer can often get the charge reduced to negligent driving or resolved with probation before judgment so it stays off your record.
I’m David Waranch, and I’ve handled thousands of Maryland traffic cases, including reckless driving charges in the Anne Arundel County District Court in Glen Burnie and the Circuit Court in Annapolis.
What Counts as Reckless Driving in Glen Burnie?
Maryland gives an officer two separate ways to write a reckless driving charge. One is about conduct: driving in wanton or willful disregard for the safety of people or property. The other is pure speed: 30 mph or more over the posted limit. Either path is enough on its own, and both produce the same charge under Md. Code, Transp. § 21-901.1.
“A person is guilty of reckless driving if the person drives a motor vehicle (1) In wanton or willful disregard for the safety of persons or property… or (3) At a speed at least 30 miles per hour above the posted speed limit.” — Md. Code, Transp. § 21-901.1(a)
The “wanton or willful” language is deliberately broad, which leaves a lot to the officer’s judgment — the same maneuver one trooper lets slide becomes a reckless charge from the next. Around Glen Burnie the stops I see most come off the fast corridors: high-speed runs on I-97 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, weaving on MD-2 Ritchie Highway, and tight following or unsafe passing near the MD-100 interchanges. Whether that driving actually meets the legal standard is the first thing a defense pushes on.
Did the Kepp Act Make 30 Over Automatically Reckless?
Yes. The Sergeant Patrick Kepp Act added the 30-over trigger directly into the reckless driving statute, and it has been in force since October 1, 2025. Before that, a very high speed was strong evidence of reckless driving, but the State still had to argue the conduct was dangerous. Now the number does the work by itself: clock a driver at 30 mph or more over the limit and it is reckless driving by definition, no separate showing of “wanton” behavior required.
That change bites hard on Anne Arundel’s open highways. A driver doing 85 in a 55 on I-97, or 70 in a 40 on Ritchie Highway, is now looking at a criminal misdemeanor instead of a payable speeding ticket. If your citation is written as straight speeding rather than reckless, our breakdown of Maryland speeding ticket penalties by speed range shows where the cutoffs fall and how close a fast stop sits to the reckless line.
“It’s basically a big speeding ticket — I’ll just pay it and be done.” Not with reckless driving. It is a must-appear charge, so there is no prepay box to check and no way to pay your way out of a court date. Skip the date and the court can issue a bench warrant. A guilty finding is a criminal misdemeanor with 6 points, not a payable citation you can mail in. Showing up with a lawyer is the only real way to protect your record.
What Are the Penalties for Reckless Driving?
Reckless driving is the most serious of Maryland’s three related charges. It carries 6 points — enough on its own to trigger a Motor Vehicle Administration referral to a driver improvement program — plus the exposure to jail and a four-figure fine. It helps to line it up against its lesser relatives, negligent and aggressive driving, because the defense strategy usually turns on moving your case down this ladder.
| Charge | Statute | Points | Maximum penalty | Ticket type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reckless driving | § 21-901.1(a) | 6 | 60 days jail + $1,000 fine | Must-appear |
| Aggressive driving | § 21-901.2 | 5 | $1,000 fine | Must-appear |
| Negligent driving | § 21-901.1(b) | 2 | $750 fine | Payable |
Aggressive driving is its own charge under Md. Code, Transp. § 21-901.2, and drivers mix it up with reckless all the time. It requires committing three or more offenses from a specific statutory list — running a red light, following too closely, unsafe lane changes, speeding, and so on — during one continuous stretch of driving. One bad move is not aggressive driving. For the full picture, see our Maryland aggressive driving lawyer page and our explainer on the difference between reckless and aggressive driving in Maryland. For how points stack up and what each one costs, Maryland’s point system in a nutshell walks through the tiers.
Will I Go to Jail for Reckless Driving in Glen Burnie?
Probably not for a first offense with no crash — but the 60-day maximum is real and not something to wave off. In practice, jail is uncommon when the driver has a clean record, nobody was hurt, and the case is handled properly. The risk climbs with the facts: an extreme speed, an accident, injuries, prior offenses, or one of the new 30-over Kepp Act cases where the raw number alarms the court. A judge in Glen Burnie or Annapolis weighs all of it. For an honest look at what actually drives incarceration risk, read will I go to jail for reckless driving in Maryland.
For most people the lasting damage isn’t jail. It’s the 6 points, the insurance jump that follows a criminal traffic conviction, and — for anyone holding a CDL or a security clearance tied to nearby BWI, Fort Meade, or the NSA — a misdemeanor on the record. Keeping a conviction off your record matters just as much as staying out of a cell.
How a Glen Burnie Reckless Driving Lawyer Defends the Charge
There’s no single script — the right move depends on how you were stopped and what the State can actually prove. The tools I reach for most often are:
- Challenge the stop and the measurement. Radar and lidar have to be calibrated and operated correctly, and a visual pace has to hold up. If the speed reading is shaky, the 30-over trigger falls apart with it.
- Attack the “wanton or willful” element. On a conduct-based charge the State has to prove real disregard for safety, not just a mistake or a single bad moment. Weather, traffic volume, and the officer’s own narrative often show the driving didn’t rise to reckless.
- Negotiate a reduction to negligent driving. Dropping from § 21-901.1(a) to § 21-901.1(b) takes the case from 6 points and jail exposure down to a payable offense with 2 points and no jail — a common and realistic goal.
- Seek probation before judgment (PBJ). Under Md. Code, Crim. Proc. § 6-220, a completed PBJ is not a conviction, so it carries no points. Reckless driving has no DUI-style bar on PBJ, which makes it a genuine option.
- Build mitigation. A clean history, a driver improvement course, and a straight account of the day give the judge a reason to go easy.
One caution if the case does resolve as negligent driving: because that charge is payable, don’t just mail in the fine. Paying a Maryland citation is a guilty plea and becomes a conviction with points on your record, and it forecloses the PBJ you might otherwise get. Requesting the court date keeps the non-conviction options open. For the trade-off in plain terms, see why a negligent driving charge isn’t as bad as it sounds.
Glen Burnie Courts and Where These Stops Happen
Reckless driving cases from the north end of Anne Arundel County are heard in the District Court in Glen Burnie, and a case can move to the Circuit Court in Annapolis if you pray a jury trial. We defend drivers stopped across the whole county — Glen Burnie, Pasadena, Severn, Ferndale, Odenton, Crofton, Millersville, and Brooklyn Park — with most stops on the heaviest-enforced corridors: I-97, MD-100, MD-2 Ritchie Highway, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
If your stop was closer to the county seat, our reckless driving lawyer in Annapolis page speaks to that area directly. For any other traffic matter in the county — not just reckless — start with our Anne Arundel County traffic lawyer page. And for the underlying law behind the charge, our overview of reckless driving in Maryland ties it all together.
Yes. Reckless driving under Md. Code, Transp. 21-901.1(a) is a criminal misdemeanor, not a payable ticket. It is a must-appear charge, so you have to go to court in Glen Burnie, and a conviction puts 6 points on your record and can carry up to 60 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Yes. Since the Sergeant Patrick Kepp Act took effect on October 1, 2025, driving at least 30 mph over the posted limit is reckless driving by definition. The speed alone establishes the charge, so no separate proof of wanton or willful conduct is required.
Often, yes. A common goal is a reduction to negligent driving, which drops the charge from 6 points and jail exposure to a payable offense with 2 points and no jail. Probation before judgment under Crim. Proc. 6-220 is also available for reckless driving, and a completed PBJ is not a conviction and carries no points.
Law Offices of David R. Waranch — 301-563-9575 · toll-free 1-877-566-2408. Hablamos Español.
Last updated: August 2026. Statutory references: Md. Code, Transp. §§ 21-901.1, 21-901.2, 16-402; Md. Code, Crim. Proc. § 6-220. This page is general information about Maryland law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.