The New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) keeps track of NY driving records with a point system.  Many traffic violations and all speeding ticket convictions have points associated with them. Points mean fees, revocation, suspension, and can cause increases in your insurance premiums. Our goal is to protect your record from points by a securing a dismissal or negotiating a plea bargain to a reduced charge with less or no points. Depending on your driving record and the circumstances of your case, reductions to no-point, non-moving violations are often possible. 

Penalties for Points on Your NY Driving License

For NY drivers with 6 points on their license, the DMV will charge $100 per year for three years and an additional $25 per year for each point over 6. Read more about Driver Responsibility Assessments.

If you get 11 points against your license in any 18-month period,  the DMV will notify you and suspend your driving license.  You may request a hearing only to show that some else committed the violations. You may not request a hearing to show that you were not guilty of the violations or to request a waiver of the suspension.

Your insurance company may increase your premiums or drop your coverage.

Points for NY Speeding Tickets and Traffic Infractions

For example, if you get a speeding ticket going 42 in a 30 mph zone and plead guilty,  you will have acquired 4 points against your license. Another conviction for traveling 86mph on the New York Thruway will result in another 6 points for 10 points total. After the second ticket, the DMV will notify you that you owe a Driver Responsibility Assessment of $600 payable $200 per year for three years. One more ticket within that 18-month period will cause the DMV to suspend your license. 

Points for Speeding Tickets 

• 1-10 mph over posted limit - 3 points (Fine Range $130 - $243)
• 11-20 mph over - 4 points (Fine Range $175 - $393)
• 21-30 mph over - 6 points (Fine Range $175 - $393)
• 31-40 mph over 8 - points (Fine Range $255 - $693)
• over 40 mph over- 11 points (Fine Range $255 - $693)

*The above fines are for the first offense and include the $93 surcharge for town and village courts, the surcharge in city courts is $88. For the second conviction, the fine minimums are the same but the maximums increase to $385, $535, and $835. For the third conviction, the maximums increase to $610, $760, and $1,060.  The court must revoke a driving license if all three speeding convictions occurred in the same 18-month period.   

Points for other Traffic Violations

• Cell Phone Use- 5 Points 
• Texting While Driving - 5 Points (increased from 3 to 5 points June 1, 2013)
• Reckless Driving - 5 points
• Failure to Stop for a School Bus -5 points
• Following too closely (tailgating) - 4 points
• Failing to Yield Right-of-Way - 3 points
• Violation Involving Traffic Signal, Stop Sign, or Yield Sign - 3 points
• Improper Passing or Lane Use - 3 points
• Leaving scene of an incident involving property damage or injury to an animal - 3 points
  Failure to use proper child restraints- 3 points