A 3-minute lesson from the Maryland course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Before Maryland lets you drive, you prove three things: you can see well enough, you know the rules, and you can handle a car. Those are the licensing requirements, and every new driver meets them.
The MVA or your eye doctor can do the vision screening. If you need glasses or contact lenses to meet the requirements, you must always wear them when you drive, and your license will say so.
The driving skills test includes driving on public roads and a special course at the testing location. You must make an appointment, online at mva.maryland.gov or by calling 410-768-7000 (TTY 1-800-492-4575).
A supervising driver must come with you to the test site. Only you and the person giving the test are allowed in the vehicle, plus an MVA-approved interpreter if you need one.
You arrive for your skills test with a quarter tank of gas and a small crack across the windshield. The vehicle fails the requirements: it needs at least a half tank and a windshield with nothing that could affect your view.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What visual acuity must an applicant have in each eye to qualify for a Maryland driver's license?
20/70
20/40
20/20
20/100
Answer: 20/40
The MVA vision screening requires at least 20/40 visual acuity in each eye.
What continuous field of vision must you have to qualify for a Maryland driver's license?
At least 110 degrees
At least 90 degrees
At least 140 degrees
At least 180 degrees
Answer: At least 140 degrees
The vision screening requires a continuous field of vision of at least 140 degrees; 110 degrees is the threshold used for reportable medical eye conditions, a different rule.