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Canadian Drivers With NY Traffic Tickets

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If you are Canadian and received a New York speeding or traffic ticket, call our office at once at 914-777-2990 for immediate help!

If you are a Canadian Citizen and motorist being convicted in New York State of speeding or another moving violation will have the same force and effect on your Canadian driver’s license and insurance rates as if you were convicted in Canada. Our New York traffic court defense lawyers represent many Canadian drivers who were charged with speeding, NY VTL § 1180, and other NY moving violations.

If you are a Canadian driver traveling into NY, you need to be extra careful and understand that you may be in more trouble than you originally thought if you receive a NY traffic ticket.

Canada and New York State Have Reciprocity

If you are a Canadian and received a speeding or traffic ticket in New York this is more significant then you may realize. Although you are in a foreign country, the Canadian and New York States DMV share driving history information under a special agreement. This includes records of speeding ticket convictions, as well as motor vehicle crimes such as DWI. Once the conviction information is transmitted to Canada, demerit points will be assessed against your Canadian driving record and license, and your insurance company will raise your premiums.

Quebec and Ontario Demerit Points

Because of the reciprocal agreement between Quebec and New York, an equivalent offense committed in New York State results in demerit points being put on your Canadian driving record as if the offense occurred in Quebec. So long as the offense is recognized in Quebec, you will receive demerit points against your Canadian driver’s license. The points are set by the ociété de l’Assurance Automobile du Québec (SAAQ) based on the equivalent Canadian offense.

Upon receiving more than 15 demerit points the Canadian driver’s license is suspended. Ontario likewise has a reciprocal agreement between New York State and the Ontario Ministry of Transpiration in which demerit points will be assessed against an Ontario driving record for any equivalent traffic offense prohibited in Ontario.

Ramifications of Speeding in New York With a Canadian License

If you are convicted of speeding in NY, the amount of demerit points turns on how fast over the speed limit you were convicted of. For example:

  • Convicted of driving 80 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone (24 kilometers over the speed limit) = 2 Canadian demerit points
  • Convicted of driving 90 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone (56 kilometers over the speed limit) = 10 Canadian demerit points
  • There are no Quebec demerit points when convicted of going 10 or less kilometers ovet the speed limit

 

  • In Ontario speeding tickets tend to range from 3 to 6 demerit points as follows:
  • Speeding up to 14 kilometers = 0 demerit points
  • Speeding 15 - 29 kilometers = 3 demerit points
  • Speeding 30 – 49 kilometers = 4 demerit points
  • Speeding 50 kilometers or more = 6 demerit points
  • Therefore, if you hire a traffic ticket attorney who is able to get your ticket reduced to one for traveling 9 miles per hour or less over the posted speed limit, you will not have to worry about having demerit points assessed against you.

Canadian Penalties For Accumulating Demerits

Suspensions begin to kick in for accumulating too many demerit points in to short of a time. In addition to license suspensions and revocations, Canadian, Quebec and Ontario demerit pints cause insurance premium increases, in addition to the court fines and surcharges you already paid. This is why it is critical to hire an skilled NY traffic court lawyer that can defeat your New York speeding ticket for you, WITHOUT the need for you to make a special trip across the border to go to court.