Points Sharing Agreement

• Traffic violations each come with their own point penalties. A minor violation may be worth zero or one point, and a serious violation such as reckless driving or driving under the influence is usually worth two points or more. Serious offenses are worth a higher number of points, and each state has its own point system. In 1960, several states initiated an agreement to prevent drivers from escaping their out-of-state traffic violations. This became the Drivers License Compact, and its theme of One Driver, One License, One Record hints at what its purpose is. This was essentially an agreement between states to report traffic violations to each other, exchanging information on serious offenses such as a DUI or vehicular manslaughter. Over the years, reports on less serious violations such as speeding have started being included.
  
  

State Differences

• Some violations count differently depending on the state where they took place. For example, a speeding ticket for nine miles an hour or less over the speed limit does not count as a point violation in Ontario, Canada. However, in New York and many other states, this does count as one point, which a driver will receive if the Ontario DMV informs his home state of his violation.
  
  

Risks

• There are some ongoing inconsistencies, but computer networks have made it much easier for states to inform each other about traffic violations. It is much more difficult for drivers to ignore their out-of-state violations, and caution is warranted when an individual has been ticketed in another state. Even though a police officer may instruct a driver to just pay the ticket, and that there will be no points awarded in his home state, there is no guarantee the officer knows the laws in the driver's home state. It is important to contact the DMV in the driver's home state and ask them what their rules are for out-of-state tickets. As an example of the inconsistency of point systems between states, in North Carolina a driver who gets a speeding ticket for exceeding the posted limit by 15 or more miles per hour will have their license suspended, regardless of what state they received the ticket in. Conversely, Pennsylvania, New York and Colorado will not post an out-of-state traffic ticket to a driver's record at all.
  
  

Insurance

• There is always a chance that an insurance company will find out about a ticket, which will increase a driver's rates. Therefore, it is important to contact the DMV in one's home state to find out its policy on out-of-state tickets. Additionally, if the DMV does receive information on the ticket from out-of-state, a driver should find out his eligibility to attend traffic school to keep points from affecting his record, and ultimately his insurance.