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What Is a Traffic Violation Point Reduction?

A traffic violation conviction can lead to points being assessed to your driving record. Accumulating a certain number of points within a specific period could result in the loss of your driving privileges and a driver responsibility fee. If you have points on your record, you could enroll in a Point and Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP) course, which affects how the DMV calculates points for determining whether to suspend your driver’s license.

Enrolling in a PIRP is not the only way to avoid the suspension of your driving privileges. You can also fight your ticket. If you are not convicted of the alleged violation, points will not be added to your record.

To learn about how a New York traffic violation can affect your future and discuss your options for seeking to prevent serious consequences, call Martin A. Kron & Associates, P.C. at (212) 235-1525 or submit an online contact form today.

How New York’s Point System Works

New York operates under a point system when it comes to traffic violations. When a person is convicted of an offense, a certain number of points are added to their driving record. For instance, if someone is found guilty of speeding 1 to 10 miles over the limit, they could have 3 points on their record. Or if a motorist was texting while driving, they could get 5 points on their record.

The point system allows the DMV to identify drivers who continuously commit traffic violations. These individuals, considered high-risk drivers, put the safety of others at risk. As such, they are subject to severe penalties. More specifically, if a person gets a total of 11 points in 18 months, the DMV can suspend or revoke their driver’s license.

How to Get a Point Reduction

If you start accumulating points on your record because of traffic violations, you could enroll in a PIRP course to seek to have the number of points reduced.

Essentially, a PIRP course is a driving safety class teaching motorists about:

  • Proper driving behavior,
  • Defensive driving, and
  • Rules of the road.

The course is just over 5 hours long. Once you complete it, the points on your driving record will be reduced by 4. Therefore, when the DMV is considering driver’s license suspension, it must subtract 4 points when calculating how many you have accumulated in the past 18 months.

To illustrate, suppose you have 6 points on your record, and you recently are convicted of texting while driving, which would take you to 11 points. You wouldn’t be in danger of losing your driving privileges if you took the PIRP course because 4 points would be subtracted from your record, bringing you down to 7.

The point reduction only affects the DMV’s calculations when making driver’s license suspension determinations. It does not remove violations or convictions from your record – those will still appear.

Additionally, it does not:

  • Relieve you from paying the driver responsibility assessment fee if you get 6 or more points in 18 months.
  • Prevent future points from being assessed to your record.
  • Reduce the number of points on your record to lower than 0.
  • Restore an already suspended or revoked driver’s license.

How to Seek to Avoid Points Being Added to Your Driving Record

Taking advantage of options, like enrolling in a PIRP course, is beneficial in that it provides the opportunity to prevent a driver’s license suspension. However, it can be costly and time-consuming.

Another route you can take to avoid points on your record and a driver’s license suspension is fighting your traffic ticket. Points only accumulate after a conviction for a violation. If you successfully challenge your citation, you won’t receive any demerit points, and you won’t have a conviction on your record.

Schedule a Consultation with Our Firm

An experienced lawyer can help fight your traffic ticket. They can review your case and develop a strategy to pursue an optimal outcome on your behalf. At Martin A. Kron & Associates, P.C., we have over 30 years of experience, and Attorney Martin A. Kron is a former traffic court judge with a wealth of insight concerning these matters.

For the legal counsel you need in New York, please contact us at (212) 235-1525.