The Peer-to-Peer MVA Mentoring ProgramA Program through the Office of the Public Defender

Mission Statement

• The Peer-to-Peer MVA Mentoring Program was created by the Office of the Public Defender to assist our clients in obtaining licenses through the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration. Our purpose is to provide individualized instruction to help clients zealously prepare for the knowledge test and to assist in various motor vehicle related issues.

A Maryland Driver’s License

• Documentation

• Jobs

• Education

• Child Care

A Drop in Licensed Drivers• “The number of 16-year-olds who received Maryland

licenses fell from 21,700 in 1995 to 6,000 in 2012” –Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration

Public Transportation

Cost• Car• Gas• Driving School

Electronic Communication “Just didn’t get around to it”

A Drop in Licensed Drivers• Timing of Driver’s License Acquisition and Reasons for

Delay among Young People in the United States Study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety• Household Income:• <$20k/year: 25% licensed by 18• >$100k/year: 79% licensed by 18

• Race:• Non-Hispanic white: 67% licensed by 18• Non-Hispanic black: 37% licensed by 18• Hispanic: 29% licensed by 18

About UsRemove barriers to

obtaining a driver’s license

Navigate Administrative Process

MVA

Child Support

Personalized Instruction

Driving Manual

Practice Tests

Breakdown

Phone Calls

Face to Face

Research

Success Story:Steven

• Charge: Driving on a Suspended License• Suspended for Child Support• Truck impounded at Pulaski

Success Story:Andrew• Charge: Driving without a License• Disposition: PBJ-6 months, unsupervised;

$480 fine waived

Success Story:Sonya

• Charge: Driving without a License• Outcome: Postponed until October

Current Projects• Drafting letter to the MVA on question logic• Scanning tests• Marking questions

• Calling local driving schools to ask about discounted rates for low-income students

Future Goals• Developing a structured guide for future interns• Written document

• Staffing the program for the rest of the year• Club at Loyola University Maryland

Thank You!