If you are thinking about taking a drive up to the Big Apple this year or plan on driving down to Disney World, there are a few things that you should know about out-of-state traffic tickets.

Driver’s License Compact

Both New York and Florida have signed the Driver’s License Compact. This means NY and FL freely share driver information with one another.

If you receive a NY traffic ticket but are a FL driver, FL will be notified about the ticket you received. Likewise, this also applies if you are licensed in NY and got a ticket in FL.

Florida Drivers

If you are a Florida driver and convicted of speeding in NY, you are going to have points put on your Florida license.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety, “If you hold a Florida license and have received a ticket in another state, they will send Florida the ticket information and it will be added to your record. You will receive points on your license if the ticket is a point-accessible violation according to Florida Statute 322.27(3). Florida law does not allow any school or program to remove points for a ticket received in another state.”

Take note: if the out-of-state traffic ticket that you receive is not one where points are given out in Florida, then no points will be added onto your FL license.

Likewise, if the traffic violation is unique to NY or not recognized by FL, you will not have any demerit points assessed against your FL driving record.

Remember, it pays to hire an experienced traffic ticket attorney who can negotiate with the prosecutor in order for your offense to be reduced to one that FL does not give points for or one not recognized by FL.

New York Drivers

New York handles things very differently.

If you have a New York driver’s license and receive a Florida traffic ticket, New York will not typically add points onto your driver’s license.

According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, “The NYSDMV does not record out-of-state violations committed by NYS drivers in other jurisdictions. The exceptions are alcohol-related violations, drug-related violations, and moving violations committed in Quebec or Ontario.”

Therefore, if you are caught speeding 45 miles over the posted speed limit in Florida, you will not have a single point added onto your New York driver’s license.

However, your insurance carrier will have the ability to raise your insurance rates due to the violation you committed (and believe us, they will).

Fines

As far as fines are concerned, no state can require you to pay a double fine. You will only have to pay the state in which you received the ticket.

For instance, if you got a NY traffic ticket, you will pay the State of New York. If you got a FL traffic ticket, you will pay the State of Florida.

Losing Your Driving Privileges

If you are an out-of-state driver and accrue 11 points or more, you will lose your New York driving privileges.

This accumulation of 11 points will be determined based on the New York point system, not your home state’s point system.

Therefore, if you are caught speeding 41 miles over the posted speed limit or get cited twice for speeding 21-30 miles over the limit, you will no longer be allowed to drive in the State of New York for a specified duration of time.

Your driver’s license will not be suspended by your home state and NY does not have the authority to suspend an out-of-state driver’s license.

However, since FL and NY are both members of the Driver’s License Compact, FL will honor the “suspension” of your New York driving privileges even though it will not take away your ability to drive elsewhere.

Make sure to contact an experienced traffic ticket attorney to help you avoid the fallout of an out-of-state speeding ticket.
Although it might be tempting to simply plead guilty and pay the fine, doing so will not make these negative consequences go away. In fact, the conviction is the very thing that brings most of them on.

Who Should You Contact?

If you recently received a New York traffic ticket, contact Rosenblum Law today at 888-883-5529.

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