Who Will Know if You're in an Accident?

Maryland drivers can now add three emergency contacts to their driver’s license so police will know who to call if an accident occurs. The emergency contact information is stored electronically on an individual’s driver’s license and will be available only to authorized law enforcement and medical personnel.

You can go to the MVA’s website at http://www.mva.maryland.gov/ and add your three emergency contacts in just a few minutes! Go to the website, click “On-line Transactions”, then click “More”, look under "Other Services" and then click “Emergency Contacts” to add your contact names, addresses and phone numbers.

NOTE:  To perform this Emergency Contact transaction, you must be able to provide your driver’s license number, date of birth, and PIN or last 4 digits of your social security number.

Should I Worry About Avoiding Probate?

Many people have the impression that probate is a complicated and expensive process. In reality, it is usually neither. Probate is the process of filing the will with the local court (typically in Maryland with the Register of Wills office). A person known as a personal representative (executor) is then appointed to administer the estate. That person’s job is to pay the decedent’s bills, collect his assets and pay any taxes, and finally, to distribute the estate funds remaining to the heirs. From start to finish, the process takes, typically, less than a year and involves probate fees that are relatively nominal. For instance, an estate valued at $500,000 would incur probate fees of $500 plus a bond fee of an additional $100.