If you hold a Maryland driver’s license but receive a traffic ticket while driving through New York, you may think that ticket will never find its way onto your driving record. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
As Maryland and New York are both signatories of the Driver’s License Compact, they freely share driver information with one another. That means a conviction for a New York traffic ticket will end up on your Maryland driving record.
The good news is that points will rarely transfer to your Maryland license except for serious violations. The bad news, however, is that all of the negative ramifications will arise as if they did. In other words, you will still face large fines, surcharges, assessments, and insurance hikes even though you received the ticket out of state.
Better Understanding New York Traffic Tickets
In New York, speeding and cell phone tickets are some of the most common moving violations. Here are the points and fines associated with these offenses:
- Speeding 1-10 MPH over the speed limit = 3 Points; $243 Maximum Fine
- Speeding 11-20 MPH over the speed limit = 4 Points; $300 Maximum Fine
- Speeding 21-30 MPH over the speed limit = 6 Points; $300 Maximum Fine
- Speeding 31-40 MPH over the speed limit = 8 Points; $600 Maximum Fine
- Speeding 41 mph or more over the speed limit = 11 Points; $600 Maximum Fine
- Cell Phone/Electronic Device Ticket = 5 points; $150 Maximum Fine
In addition to the fines, each ticket also carries a $93 mandatory court surcharge.
Once you accumulate 6 points in New York State, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles slaps you with another penalty known as the Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA). This applies even if you are an out of state driver.
At 6 points you will be fined $100 each year for 3 years. For every point above 6 points, you will be charged an additional $25 per year for 3 years. For example, the DRA for 8 Points in New York will be $450 ($150 per year for 3 years).
If you accumulate 11 points on your New York record, your New York driving privileges will be suspended. That means if you are caught driving in New York you will be charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation (driving while suspended) which is a criminal offense. Maryland may or may not enforce the suspension within its borders.
Finally, since New York traffic offenses transfer to your Maryland driver’s record, your auto insurance company will likely raise your rates.
Never Plead Guilty to a New York Traffic Ticket
Pleading guilty to a New York traffic ticket is the equivalent of being found guilty in a court of law and opens you up to all of the fines and penalties described above, regardless of which state you hold your driver’s license in.
The best thing to do with out of state traffic tickets is to fight them. A skilled attorney will be able to have your points and fines reduced and, in some cases, have the case dismissed altogether. And, for most New York cases, an attorney can appear on your behalf to save you a trip to court.
About the Author: Adam Rosenblum is the principle of The Rosenblum Law Firm which focuses on traffic tickets in New York State. For more information about New York traffic tickets or if you need a New York traffic ticket attorney visit TicketDefenseLaw.com or call 888-883-5529.