New DMV point system projected to increase lost licenses by 40%

The Department of Motor Vehicles will toughen its license point system next month, making it easier to suspend or revoke repeat offenders’ driving privileges and, once taken away, harder to get them back.

The agency’s own analysis predicted the changes could increase the number of safety-related license suspensions or revocations by 40%. There are already over 40,000 suspended or revoked licenses on Long Island, according to DMV data, although studies suggest a significant portion are for nontraffic safety reasons, like failure to pay taxes.

"We anticipate that taken as a whole, these tougher regulations and penalties will help get dangerous drivers and persistent violators off the road sooner and make it more difficult for them to get their driving privileges back," DMV spokesman Walt McClure said in a statement.

Currently, each traffic ticket earns a driver 2 or more points; 11 points in 18 months can lead to a license suspension. But the new rules will extend that time frame to 24 months and create points for violations that didn't previously have any, like racing. It also raises the DMV's requirements for suspended drivers who apply for license reinstatement.

While traffic safety experts told Newsday they support the new changes, they also pointed out that suspended drivers often continue to drive without a license, and they highlighted technological solutions that can help prevent habitual reoffending.

The new changes will be enforced beginning Feb. 16. They were first announced over a year ago but enforcement was delayed pending an ongoing upgrade to the DMV's aging technology systems, according to McClure.

Racing, leaving the scene and facilitating unlicensed driving

Under the new system, some violations that previously had no point value will now get points, like participating in a "speed contest" (5 points), failing to "exercise due care" in a crash with pedestrians or bicyclists (5 points), leaving the scene of a personal injury crash (5 points), speeding in a work zone (8 points) and driving a vehicle that exceeds height limitations on a highway or bridge (8 points).

Alcohol- and drug-related offenses, as well as driving with a suspended license, will each now earn 11 points.

The new system also gives 5 points to any driver who allows another person to operate their car with the knowledge that the other person’s license is suspended or revoked. Drivers who pass stopped school buses will earn 8 points instead of the previous 5. Automated tickets, like those from bus cameras, red-light cameras and speed cameras, do not result in license points.

Some news outlets, as well as AI chatbots like Google Gemini and Chat GPT, have incorrectly reported that points will be given for illegal U-turns or broken taillights. But those changes are not in the text of the rule; McClure said he was "not aware" of them. 

The point system, aimed at tracking repeat offenders, is not the only way to lose a license. Courts have long been able to revoke licenses, regardless of points, for drunken or drugged driving. And many drivers lose licenses for reasons unrelated to highway safety, like failure to pay taxes or child support, although in 2021 the state removed license suspension as a punishment for failure to pay traffic fines. The DMV on Tuesday did not provide the number of non-safety license suspensions on Long Island. 

Technological fixes for habitual reoffending

Robert Sinclair, spokesman for AAA Northeast, said the changes are warranted.

"There are too many drivers engaging in risky behavior on Long Island and we anticipate these changes will lead to increased safety," he said.

Still, other factors may mitigate the revamped point system’s effectiveness.

Traffic courts often allow drivers to plead down to less severe offenses, according to data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research. This can enable drivers to reduce the points they get or avoid them altogether.

Likewise, many suspended drivers continue to drive. Newsday has previously reported that unlicensed drivers account for 2% of all drivers on Long Island, but represented about 14% of drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2019 and 2023.

Paige Carbone, regional director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said she supports the more stringent license rules, but additional measures are also needed.

A year ago, the state reduced the total number of DWI convictions one can have before permanently losing one’s license, from five to four. McClure said that since then, there have been over 1,160 permanent denials statewide for drivers with four impaired driving incidents.

But Carbone said a more important measure could be enforcement of ignition interlock devices, which require drivers to blow into a small Breathalyzer-like device wired into a car’s ignition system.

New York requires installing the devices after a single drunken driving conviction, but offenders often avoid doing so by transferring vehicle ownership to a family member. MADD supports a bill in the State Legislature to strengthen enforcement around ignition interlock devices.

Another technology, aimed at habitual speeders, is called intelligent speed assistance.

In her recent State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a pilot program for New York City that would require repeat offenders to install GPS-linked devices that limit speed to a few miles per hour above the speed limit.