If you live in New York and end up getting a traffic violation in Pennsylvania, it’s perfectly natural to wonder if that violation will affect your New York driving record. Issues like points and offenses on your record can impact a lot of things. These include insurance premiums and your ability to drive legally.
What is the result of an out-of-state conviction?
If you’re convicted of traffic violations in another state or country, you typically will not receive any points on your New York driving record. However, there are exceptions. The state of New York has a reciprocal agreement with both Ontario and Quebec. In the event that you are convicted of traffic violations in these provinces, the points will carry over to your New York driving record.
What is the Driver Violation Point System?
New York, just like every other state, has their own system for identifying high-risk drivers. The DMV will assign a point value to various traffic violations. Drivers who are convicted of a particular violation will receive that specified amount of points. If a driver receives 11 or more points within an 18-month period, they may have their driver’s license suspended.
Depending on the severity of the traffic violation, a point number will be assessed. The violations that carry a high point value of 5 points include speeding at 21 MPH over the posted limit, reckless driving, improper cell phone use and failure to stop for a school bus. Violations with a lower limit of 2 points include taking an improper turn, moving violations and failure to signal.
While most people try to avoid them, sometimes traffic violations happen. It’s vital that you understand how many points each violation carries and how many your record currently has on it. In most cases where you’re convicted of a traffic violation outside of the state, you won’t have to worry about the points being added to your New York driving record.