If you received a traffic ticket or misdemeanor traffic violation, you may have concerns about points on your license and what they mean. Put in simple terms, points on a license are an additional penalty that accompanies punishments like traffic fines. The higher the severity of the offense, the more points that are put on your license. If you accrue six or more points on your license, you will need to pay a “Driver Responsibility Assessment Fee,” in addition to the fine from your ticket. If you accrue 11 or more points on your license during an 18-month period, you will lose your license.
Offenses such as failing to signal or making an illegal turn are worth two points, while more severe offenses like using a cell phone while driving are worth five points. Speeding can be worth as little as three points for being ten miles per hour over the posted speed limit, or it may earn 11 points (and thus automatic revocation of your license) for driving 40 miles per hour or more over the limit.
If you want a complete list of traffic violations and the amount of points you may receive as a result, you can see them below:
Common Traffic Violations
VTL
|
Name of Offense |
Points |
| 1180(d) | ||
| Speeding | 1 to 10 mph over limit | 3 points |
| Speeding | 11 to 20 mph over limit | 4 points |
| Speeding | 21 to 30 mph over limit | 6 points |
| Speeding | 31 to 40 mph over limit | 8 points |
| Speeding | over 40 mph over limit | 11 points *Likely an automatic suspension |
| 1225 | Cell Phone and/or electronic device tickets | 5 points |
| 1102 | Failure to Comply with a Lawful Order | 2 points |
| 1110 (a) | Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device | 2 points |
| 1110 (a)(1) | Passed Green Arrow | 3 points |
| 1111 (d)(1) | Passed Red Light | 3 points |
| 1111 (a)(1) | Passed Red Arrow | 3 points |
| 1120 (a) | Failure to Keep Right | 3 points |
| 1122 | Improper Lane Change | 3 points |
| 1128 (a) | Unsafe Lane Change | 3 points |
| 1129 (a) | Following Too Closely (Tailgating) | 4 points |
| 1140 | Failure to Yield Right of Way at Intersection | 3 points |
| 1141 | Failure to Yield Right of Way–Oncoming Traffic | 3 points |
| 1143 | Failure to Yield Right of Way–Pedestrians | 3 points |
| 1163 | Failure to Signal Lane Change | 2 points |
| 1172 | Failure to Stop at Stop Sign or Flashing Red Light | 3 points |
| 1174 | Overtaking a Schoolbus | 5 points |
| 1180 (a) | Unreasonable/Imprudent Speed | 3 points |
| 1180 (b) | Speeding | |
| 1 – 10 mph over speed limit | 3 points | |
| 11 – 20 mph over speed limit | 4 points | |
| 21 – 30 mph over speed limit | 6 points | |
| 31 – 40 mph over speed limit (possible suspension) | 8 points | |
| More than 40 mph over speed limit (possible suspension) | 11 points | |
| 1212 | Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor Offense) | 5 points |
| 600.1 | Leaving the Scene of an Accident With Propety Damage | 3 points |
| 319 | Uninsured Motorist (Mandatory Revocation) | 0 points (Mandatory license revocation) |
| 375 (1) | Inadequate Brakes (Misdemeanor offense) | 4 points |
| 375 (3) | Failure to Dim Headlights | 2 points |
| 375 (29a) | Improper Towing/More Than One Vehicle | 2 points |
