If you have points on your New York driving record, you may have been referred to taking a Point and Insurance Reduction Program. The Point & Insurance Reduction Program (PIRP) is approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. It is available through private companies or corporations. Often the New York DMV will refer to these private companies as course sponsors. Defensive driving courses to reduce insurance premiums and points are accessible in both online and classroom.

What is the difference between points on license & violations?

Sometimes, people who complete this program are still confused about what happens to their NY DMV driving record. One of the main misunderstandings that people have is that they confuse points with actual violations. Below is a useful chart to show the differences.

Points Violations
You must be convicted of the traffic violation before points are added to your driving record Completing a Point and Insurance Reduction (PIRP) course does not remove a violation
Your point total is calculated based on the date of the violation, not the date of the conviction Most violations, convictions and points will continue to show on your driving record for up to 4 years
The points for violations that all occurred within the last 18 months are added to calculate your point total Violations and convictions involving drugs or alcohol will remain on your driving record for ten years.
You can only use a Point & Insurance Reduction Program course to reduce up to 4 points once in an 18-month period

As you can see, points may be reduced via taking the PIRP course while the actual violation stays on your record.

Another misunderstanding is that insurance companies have their own point system. The New York DMV point system and your insurance company’s “point” systems are separate and not related. Point reduction on your New York driving record does not affect points assigned by your insurance company for violations and accidents.

People may also want to take the PIRP course to reduce exactly 4 points. If you get 11 points in an 18-month period, your driver license suspended. Per the New York DMV, point reduction means the number of points on your driving record used to calculate the number of total points received within 18 months will be reduced by 4 points, at most, and may help you avoid a suspension. This means that completing the course may help avoid a suspension but does not guarantee that your license will not be suspended. This is due to the point system is not being the only way to lose your license.

How many points on license is each traffic violation?

VIOLATION POINTS
Speeding (MPH over posted limit)
1 to 10 3
11 to 20 4
21 to 30 6
31 to 40 8
Over 40 11
Reckless Driving 5
Failed to stop for school bus 5
Followed too closely (tailgating) 4
Inadequate brakes (private car) 4
Inadequate brakes (employer’s vehicle) 2
Failed to yield right-of-way 3
Disobeying traffic control signal, STOP sign or YIELD sign 3
Railroad crossing violation 5
Improper passing, changing lane unsafely 3
Driving left of center, in wrong direction 3
Leaving scene of property damage incident 3
Child safety restraint violation 3
Improper cell phone use 5
Use of portable electronic device (“texting”) 5
Any other moving violation 2

To find out how many points are on your record and if you are at risk of license suspension, it is best to review your Abstract. Retrieving your Abstract, better known as your New York Driving Record, is simple despite what people think. You can request a copy from the New York DMV website, via mail, and of course your local DMV office. Click Here to view a sample Abstract.

Some frustrations that people may encounter after completing the PIRP course is that points are not reduced or the course completion does not reflect on the Abstract. Every course sponsor has up to 10 weeks from your course completion date to report your certificate to the New York DMV. In simple math, that is 2 and a half months. After the PIRP school has reported your completion, the New York DMV system will handle reducing eligible points from your driving record. The course completion will display under Activity section of your Abstract along with the period that the completion is valid for.

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