Before making the trip up north to visit New York or down south to check out Missouri, make sure that you understand all of the ramifications associated with out-of-state traffic tickets and how they can affect your driving record.
Driver’s License Compact
Both New York and Missouri signed the Driver’s License Compact. This means NY and MO freely share driver information with one another. If you are convicted of a NY traffic ticket but are a MO driver, contrary to popular belief, MO will be notified about the ticket you received. This also applies if you are licensed in NY and got a ticket in MO.
Missouri Drivers
In Missouri, convictions for out-of-state moving violations will appear on your MO driving record. This means Missouri drivers will receive points on their licenses for the speeding tickets they are convicted of in New York or other states.
In most cases, you will receive the amount of points that you would have been given if you had been caught speeding in Missouri. The Missouri Point Schedule reveals that a driver who is convicted of exceeding the posted county or municipal speed limit will have 2 points added onto his license regardless of the speed he was traveling.
However, if you are convicted of exceeding a posted state speed limit, you will receive 3 points. Therefore, if you are convicted of a New York speeding ticket and are a Missouri driver, depending on the surrounding circumstances, 3 points could be assessed against you!
Likewise, receiving an out-of-state traffic ticket for leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, and driving on a suspended license in New York are all violations that will likely result in points being put on your Missouri driving record.
New York Drivers
New York handles out-of-state traffic tickets differently.
If you have a New York driver’s license and are convicted of a Missouri traffic ticket, NY will rarely add points onto your NY driving record. 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.”
In other words, if you are convicted of speeding in Missouri, 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.
When it comes to fines, no state can require you to pay a double fine. You will only have to pay the state in which you received the ticket. If you got a NY traffic ticket, you will pay the State of New York. If you got a MO traffic ticket, you will pay the State of Missouri.
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, since MO and NY are both members of the Driver’s License Compact, MO will honor the “suspension” of your New York driving privileges even though it 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 a MO 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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