Virginia Drivers: Be Wary of how Out of State Traffic Violations Harm Your Virginia Driving Record
Andrew’s note: This is a guest post by New York attorney Adam Rosenblum.
With its central location Virginians regularly drive their vehicles into neighboring states, whether it be for leisure or for their daily commute to the office. It is therefore imperative that Virginians understand impact that an out-of-state ticket will have on your Virginia driving record and insurance rates.
Out-of-State Traffic Violation Will Come Back to Haunt You
Many people are under the erroneous belief that an out-of-state driving violation will not affect your Virginia driving privileges. The reason a traffic ticket issued to a Virginia driver in, say, New York will affect your Virginia driving record is because both states have signed onto what is known as the Drivers License Compact (DLC)
The DLC is an agreement made between 45 states and Washington DC that to transfer information concerning license suspension and traffic violations committed out-of-state back to the driver’s home state. The concept is that all drivers have one license and therefore should have one record overseen by their home state, which tracks all-driving violations regardless of where they may occur.
What this means simply is that if a Virginia driver receives a traffic violation in neighboring Maryland or Washington DC, the state where the violation occurred will provide information of the offense back to the driver’s home state of Virginia. Virginia would treat the violation as though it occurred in Virginia and apply the applicable points to your Virginia record.
Virginia Driver – Ticket in New York
The amount of points applied to your driving record will be tied to the Virginia point system. Virginia might treat the equivalent violation more seriously or less seriously than the state where the violation occurred. For example, if a Virginia driver is ticketed for speeding 47 miles over the posted New York speed limit, Virginia will apply the corresponding amount of points onto the person’s Virginia driving record. In this example, 6 points will be placed onto his VA driver’s license, even though NY considers this to be an 11 point ticket. The upshot is that Virginia drivers are treated according to Virginia’s state traffic law regardless of which state the violation occurred in.
This sharing of violations applies to minor violations such as speeding and major violations such as DWI/DUI. Information on non-moving violations including parking tickets are generally not handed over to the home-state.
What Happens if a VA Driver is Ticketed in a Non-Compact Member State?
It is important for Virginia drivers to note that the neighboring state of Tennessee is not a member of Driver License Compact. Tennessee may choose to share traffic violation information with Virginia but there is no guarantee. Tennessee may opt to ensure that a traffic violation is resolved within Tennessee. A Virginian who has several violations in Tennessee could possibly have their driving privileges suspended in the state of Tennessee only, but be able to drive anywhere else in the United States.
It is vital that Virginia drivers treat out-of-state driving violations seriously by hiring a local attorney to fight their out-of-state tickets and avoid losing their driving privileges.
At the Rosenblum Law Firm our competent attorneys work hard on behalf of Virginia motorists to ensure that tickets you receive throughout New York State will not negatively impact their Virginia driving records and insurance rates.
Adam Rosenblum is a New York Reckless Driving Lawyer and a criminal defense lawyer who often deal with shoplifting charges in New Jersey.
Photo by Stuck in Customs
