Every year, millions of traffic tickets are issued to New Yorkers for speeding, moving violations, and other traffic offenses. In addition to fines, these tickets also come with points on a person’s license. But what exactly does it mean to get points on your driver’s license, and what are the potential consequences of getting too many points?
Explaining Points on a Driver’s Licenses
In basic terms, the “points” on a driver’s license are a measure of both the number and severity of traffic offenses that someone has committed over a certain period of time. Every traffic violation has a certain number of points associated with it, ranging from two or three points for some of the lowest level offenses, to five, eight, or even eleven points for high-level speeding offenses. The more points someone has on their license, the more severe the consequences of a traffic ticket.
What Happens When You Have More Points
Once you have six or more points on your license, you will be forced to pay an additional $100 as a Driver Responsibility Assessment fee, on top of the normal fines. If you ever get eleven or more points on your license, it will be suspended for a certain amount of time. While your license is suspended, you cannot legally drive, and can face additional legal penalties if you are caught driving with a suspended license.
The Effect of Points on Your Insurance
In addition, the state is not the only one paying attention to your driving habits. Your insurance company will also be alerted if you are ticketed for traffic offenses, and they will adjust your insurance premiums accordingly. The more traffic violations you deal with, the higher your insurance premiums will be.
How to Remove Points From Your License
There are two primary ways to rid yourself of points on your driver’s license. The first, and most immediate, way of helping to lower your point totals is to take a defensive driving course. This will immediately reduce the effective number of your points on your license by four for the purposes of calculating your suspension, as well as reduce your insurance premiums.
The second way, unfortunately, is to simply wait. Points are automatically removed from your license after eighteen months, so once you have the points on your driver’s license, you must live with them for a year and a half. The best way to avoid having to deal with the consequences of points on your license is to simply never get them in the first place. Fortunately, hiring a traffic law attorney to assist with your traffic ticket can help you do just that.
Fox Law Firm, PLLC is a New York traffic and criminal law practice serving clients throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. With more than three decades of law practice experience, attorney Dan Fox has helped clients in traffic and criminal cases defend themselves and protect their rights. For more information or to ask for a consultation, call our Riverhead office at 631-779-3400 or visit our contact page.
