Now, in Maryland, you cannot text OR HOLD A CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING

Driving in Maryland has officially changed. As of October 1st, 2013, holding and talking on your cell phone will become a primary offense. In 2012 Maryland became a “Hands Free” state where it was a secondary offense; which means that police would need to have another reason to pull you over and then if you were also talking on a hand held phone you could be ticketed for that as well. Now, police will no longer need any other reason to pull a driver over other than seeing him/her holding a phone while driving. Drivers who are caught using a handheld phone will face a $75 fine for their first offense, $125 for their 2nd, and $175 for the 3rd offense.
According to the Statute, Maryland Annotated Code, Transportation Article, Section 21-1124.2, drivers can use their hands only to “initiate or terminate” the call or to “turn on and turn off” their phone.