Those who love to head south for the winter ought to take note of the effect of an out-of-state traffic ticket on their driver’s license. Depending on which state your license is from will determine whether you can have points added onto your driving record for an out-of-state traffic violation.
The information below will help you better understand the role that out-of-state traffic tickets play in Georgia and New York.
Driver’s License Compact
Although most states signed onto the Driver’s License Compact, Georgia is one of a few states that has not. This means the State of Georgia will not share driver information with any other states. However, New York has signed the Driver’s License Compact and will share this information with all other member states.
Georgia Drivers
Since Georgia is not a member of the Driver’s License Compact, out-of-state traffic tickets will not usually appear on your driving record. It is worth mentioning that this is exceedingly rare.
In fact, almost all states will at least have the offense appear on your driving record (even if points are not added to it) since information is usually shared. Nevertheless, Georgia is an exception to this.
However, if the offense that you commit outside the State of Georgia is ignored or not dealt with (i.e. no plea was entered, it was never adjudicated, etc.), that state will inform Georgia and may even request that your driving privileges be suspended.
Therefore, even though the offense may never even make it onto your driving record or lead to points being assessed against you, it is highly likely that you will have to take care of it.
In other words, even if you are a Georgia driver, do not ignore your out-of-state traffic tickets.
After all, a fine will still be assessed against you by the state that ticketed you and your insurance could still go up substantially.
New York Drivers
If you have a New York driver’s license and are convicted of a Georgia traffic ticket, in most cases, New York will not 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.”
Nevertheless, NY makes exceptions for alcohol-related violations, drug-related violations, and moving violations committed in Quebec or Ontario. As such, if you are caught speeding in Georgia, points will not be added onto your New York driver’s license.
However, as we noted before, your insurance carrier will have the ability to raise your insurance rates due to the violation you committed.
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. Thus, if you are found guilty of speeding 41 miles over the posted speed limit or get convicted 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.
Remember, 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, even though Georgia is not a member of the Driver’s License Compact, it will honor this “suspension” of your New York driving privileges but will not take away your ability to drive elsewhere.
Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA)
Furthermore, if you are convicted of a NY traffic ticket for an offense or set of offenses that amounts to 6 or more points under New York’s Point System, you will also be required to pay a Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA).
This applies regardless of whether you are an out-of-state driver or licensed in NY.
- If you get 6 points in 18 months, the assessment will be $100 per year for 3 years.
- If you get more than 6 points in 18 months, an additional $25 per year will be charged for each additional point you receive. This means 1 extra point will cost you $75 more (since the assessment lasts for 3 years).
- If you get convicted of a drug- or alcohol-related offense or you refuse to submit to a chemical test, the assessment will be $250 per year for 3 years.
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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