The law that applies to your claim
How the window is measured
The eighteen months run from the dates of the violations, not the dates of conviction. Because a contested ticket can take months to resolve, points from an old stop can land on your record long after the fact and combine with a recent one. That is how drivers are suspended by a ticket they thought was ancient history.
The Driver Responsibility Assessment
Six or more points in eighteen months triggers a DMV assessment of $300 payable over three years, plus $75 for each point above six. It is separate from every court fine, and it arrives by mail from the DMV rather than from the court.
The point reduction course
New York’s Point and Insurance Reduction Program can subtract up to 4 points from the total used for suspension purposes and reduce base insurance rates for three years. It does not remove convictions from your record, and it can generally be used once every 18 months.
Suspension for failure to answer
Ignoring a ticket suspends your license independently of any points. Driving while suspended is aggravated unlicensed operation under VTL §511 — a crime, not a ticket, and a far worse problem than the original violation.
Order matters more than people expect
Because the window is measured from violation dates, the sequence in which tickets are resolved changes the arithmetic. Resolving one ticket in a way that keeps the total below six can avoid the assessment entirely; resolving it carelessly can trigger it.
Where several tickets are outstanding at once, they should be looked at together rather than one at a time as each court date arrives.
Getting a license back
A suspension for failure to answer generally clears once the underlying matter is resolved and any termination fee is paid. A points suspension runs its term. Where driving is required for work, a conditional or restricted license may be available depending on the reason for the suspension.
What is not advisable in any circumstance is driving on it. A §511 charge is a criminal matter and it compounds everything.
How long you have to act
- Three years from the date of the accident for most negligence claims (CPLR §214).
- Two years for wrongful death (EPTL §5-4.1).
- 90 days to serve a notice of claim where a city, county, school district, transit authority or other public body is involved (General Municipal Law §50-e), with suit generally within one year and 90 days.
The 90-day rule is the one that quietly ends otherwise strong cases. If a public entity may be involved, that is the first thing to check — not the last.
What it costs
Nothing up front. These cases are handled on contingency: there is no fee unless we win, and the consultation is free. You will be told the percentage and how expenses are handled, in writing, before you sign anything.
Common questions
How many points do I have right now?
Order your driving abstract from the DMV. It is the authoritative record, and it is worth having before deciding how to handle any ticket.
Do points ever come off?
They stop counting toward suspension after 18 months from the violation date, but the conviction itself remains on your abstract for longer and insurers still see it.
I have three tickets pending at once.
Then they should be handled together. Resolving them independently is how people end up over the threshold by accident.
