The Connecticut DMV treats its drivers with New York traffic convictions differently based on type of driver and the type of offense.
1. Connecticut Commercial Drivers
The Connecticut DMV will record all NY convictions to the equivalent violation on a commercial driver’s CT driving record. For CDL holders, points in New York are likely to cause points in Connecticut.
2. Standard Class D License Holders
Class D is the non-commercial standard driving license. The Connecticut DMV breaks it down as follows:
a. Minor Traffic Infractions
For relatively minor violations such as speeding, failure to obey a traffic control device, cell phone use and other simple traffic infractions, the CT DMV generally will not add the New York convictions to the CT driver's record.
b. More Serious Traffic Violations and Misdemeanors
For more serious violations, such as reckless driving, negligent homicide, and leaving the scene of an accident, the CT DMV will add the conviction on a CT driving record.
3. Connecticut Honors New York Suspensions
New York speeding convictions generally will not show up on your CT driving record. However, suspensions from a New York court for failure to appear or failure to pay fine, will show up on a Connecticut license. Therefore, a Connecticut driver must take care of tickets issued in New York State or face license suspension in Connecticut.
For CT drivers suspended in NY, it is not enough to have the NY court lift the suspension. All CT drivers must also send proof of the suspension lift, called in NY a “notice of appearance”, to dmv.suspension@ct.gov. The proof must contain driver information, the ticket number, and date paid. A standard notice of appearance from a NY court will contain this information.
If you have any further questions about the impact of New York State traffic convictions on Connecticut drivers you may email dmv.suspension@ct.gov.
4. Complete Information Sharing Between NY and CT
Article III of the Driver License Compact states:
“The licensing authority of a party state shall report each conviction of a person from another party state occurring within its jurisdiction to the licensing authority of the home state of the licensee.....”
As a result of this information sharing, you should count on your insurance company learning of any traffic conviction. Even though the Connecticut DMV might not take action against you based on a NY traffic conviction, your insurance company might. Therefore, it is important to seek reductions for any New York traffic ticket.
If you have been ticketed, please call (315) 364-1155 for a complimentary case evaluation or receive an instant online fee quote for your speeding ticket.