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2016 Spring Newsletter

Safety Notices
Golf Carts, Go Carts, Dirt Bikes and ATVs: I think we’ve all seen golf carts putting around and, most of the time, they are
operated safely. However, we recently had an incident in our neighborhood involving children driving a golf cart. As the cart
load of kids turned down one of our steeper roads, the cart flipped and several were injured. The fact that they were kids,
driving a vehicle not authorized for use on public roads, put the owners of the cart at risk legally and financially. PLEASE, if
you own a cart or ATV, help us avoid such terrible accidents and tell your kids to play it safe! Teach them the rules of the
road; stop signs mean STOP, look before you pull out onto a road, stay in your lane, and do not dart across lanes.

Speeding: We have had several reports of speeding vehicles and resulting “close calls”. This time of year there are lots of
kids and dogs in the streets in our neighborhood. PLEASE slow down when you enter the Shores!

Fireworks: Laws Governing the Use of Fireworks in Maryland
Many people have questions about the legality of fireworks in Maryland. The following is a basic summary of the laws:
To buy or not to buy? In general, unless they are part of a public display approved by the fire dept., most fireworks are not
legal in MD.
Not in my backyard. Or any backyard. Absolutely no private display of fireworks in MD is permitted by law. Fireworks
displays are only allowed when a permit is issued by the Fire Marshall and the requisite insurance coverage is in place.
It’s a sparkling affair. Sparklers that contain no chlorates or perchlorates and non-aerial, non-explosive sparkling devices
are permitted in most of MD (e.g., “gold label” sparklers and “champagne party poppers”).
Let’s see some I.D. The sale of sparklers to anyone under the age of 16 is against the law.
What if the fireworks were purchased out of state? If you bought them there, use them there. It is illegal to transport
fireworks, even if purchased legally elsewhere, into MD.
But officer, I didn’t know…. People are often not aware that they’ve purchased fireworks that aren’t legal in MD.
The Maryland State Police publishes a guide that shows the labels for legal and illegal fireworks.

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