How do points work in New York?

If you are found guilty of a traffic moving violation in NY, or if you fight the ticket, lose, and have to pay the traffic ticket fine, you may also have points added to your driver’s license. More severe violations will add more points.

If you accumulate 6 points or more within 18 months, the city may require that you pay what’s called a Driver Responsibility Assessment Fee. Depending on the type of violations you’ve been found guilty of, you may also be responsible for other penalties, including being required to take a driver safety class.

If you accumulate 11 points or more within 18 months, your license may be suspended. At this point, the suspension may be indefinite, and the specifics of your fines and penalties are left up to the court. Points incurred for a particular violation may remain on your record after 18 months, but will no longer count towards this total.

Regardless of how many points you have on your record, your license may be immediately suspended or revoked for any of these violations:

• Driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs
• Failure to pay outstanding traffic fines
• Failure to file motor vehicle accident reports
• Unpaid taxes
• Failure to maintain auto liability insurance
• Being involved in a motor vehicle collision resulting in a fatality

In addition to automatic suspension if you accumulate more than 11 points in 18 months, there are several reasons why your license might be immediately suspended after a new violation, regardless of how many points you have on your record.

If you are found guilty of 3 speeding violations within 18 months, your driver’s license may be revoked for at least six months.

If you are found guilty of 3 misdemeanor traffic violations within 18 months, this may also result in your license being suspended or revoked for at least six months.

If you passed your road test less than six months ago, it only takes 2 moving violations to result in a suspended license.

If you are found guilty of texting or using your cell phone, your license may be automatically suspended for 120 days.