i am a resident in nj and i recently went to court in NY for a ticket
for speeding and following too closely which i was found guilty
for....i should've got a traffic lawyer.....first time tickets after
11 years of driving and they showed now mercy......the total points
were 10.....my question is, i live in nj and from what i understand,
out of state moving violations should be around 2 points.  however,
i've read that insurance companies check other states also, so
potentially, the 10 points will show on my nj license too.......is
that true???  i've also had my license suspended for 30 days in
ny....does that mean that it will be suspended in nj also???  i plan
on taking a defensive driving course to remove some points........i
understand this will take the points off in ny, but could i take a
course in nj also to remove points for my nj license??? i know this is
a lot of info, but i could really use some help....thanks

Dear chopstik-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. The
state of New Jersey is a member of two interstate compacts (agreements
between states to share information and enforce laws). These compacts
are called the Driver?s License Compact (DLC) and the Non-Resident
Violator Compact (NVRC). New York also happens to be a member state.
According to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission the state of New
Jersey assesses two points for each out-of-state violation.

NEW JERSEY MOTOR VEHICLE COMMISSION
http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/cit_violations/d_vp_pnf.html

You can obtain a copy of your driver record and find out exactly how
many points have been assess to your record:

NEW JERSEY MOTOR VEHICLE COMMISSION
DRIVER HISTORY RECORD
http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/d_driver_history.html

You can take a defensive driver course in New Jersey that can lower
the total points assessed to your record. Up to two points may be
subtracted from your point total after successful completion of a
Motor Vehicle Commission approved Defensive Driving Program. Note:
Credit is given for one program every five years.

Up to three points may be subtracted from your point total after
successful completion of a Motor Vehicle Commission Driver Improvement
Program (maximum of once every two years) your record is violation and
suspension free for a full year. It is important to note however that
(unfortunately) in the state of New Jersey none of these deductions
apply to insurance surcharge point totals. Having said that, a
reduction of points can often help a person with a New Jersey license
avoid a possible suspension based on excessive points, but it will not
count as a reduction for insurance purposes.

NEW JERSEY MOTOR VEHICLE COMMISSION
VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES
http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/cit_violations/d_vp_pntded.html

The fact that you received the ticket in New York has little bearing
on the point assessment because it is how the state of New Jersey
reacts to it that will determine how many points you are assessed.
Along that same line, the fact that you got your New Jersey license
suspended by the state of New York does not mean that you are
suspended in New York only. Because of the interstate compacts an
invalid (suspended or revoked) license in any state is considered
invalid in all 50 states ? so yes, your license, if suspended in New
York, is suspended in New Jersey too.

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer and I will do my best to clarify for you.
Otherwise I welcome your rating and your final comments and I look
forward to working with you again in the near future. Thank you for
bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

Defined above


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

New Jersey

New York

Compact

NRVC

DLC

---

Request for Answer Clarification by chopstik-ga on 03 Feb 2006 07:59 PST

so if i took a defensive driving course, would it be better to take it
in ny to lower those points or take a class in nj???  can i take both?
thanks again

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 03 Feb 2006 10:34 PST

This determination is one best made by the DMV. You should contact
them and find out which strategy is best.

http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/cit_driver_programs/d_driver_programs.html

I suspect that it it won't really matter where the class is completed
because ultimatley it is (again) how New Jersey DMV responds to it
that will impact your license. However, just to be on the safe side it
is best to contact NJDMV and pose your question directly to them. This
is not something I can really do FOR you since there will likley be
questions I cannot answer in detail and there may even be some privacy
issues that prevent them from discussing with me your driver history
and appropriate course of action.

Hope this helps;
tutuzdad-ga

based on the questions i asked, this researcher answered the question
to the best of his ability