NORWOOD, New York (WWNY) – It might be time to get that taillight fixed because soon it could be the reason for your license being suspended.
“Some of them are going to be surprised, and some of them, people are going to say, ‘Why didn’t they do this sooner,’” said Norwood Police Chief Shawn Wells.
Wells says vehicle equipment violations will soon carry points, part of many changes the state Department of Motor Vehicles is making to its Driver Violation Point System.
It’s the state’s effort to reduce dangerous driving.
Many existing violations, like speeding, passing a stopped school bus, and using a phone, will now carry more points.
“What we want is drivers to practice safe driving, and if the points increase is a deterrent and makes people drive a little bit safer, then that’ll be a good thing in our book because we want people to drive safely,” said Valerie Puma, AAA communications specialist.
And if you get points on your license, it’s going to take longer to get them off.
Currently, if you get 11 points in 18 months, your driver’s license may be suspended. Under the changes, you keep them for 2 years.
“Not only are points lasting a little bit longer on the license itself, you know, it doesn’t go away after 18 months, it’ll go away after 24 months. With the violations having an increase in points, it is a little bit easier to reach that threshold,” said Puma.
Reports say some traffic violations, like illegal U-turns and not moving over for emergency vehicles, will also now result in points.
For the ones issuing tickets, it’s a waiting game to see if the new rules will actually help.
“We’ll continue to enforce traffic violations as we always have,” said Canton Police Chief Ryan Cole.
AAA officials are expecting the changes to take effect in February.
Click here for more information on the changes
Copyright 2025 WWNY. All rights reserved.