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DMV wants harsher penalties for speeding, fleeing accidents, and DWI: What would change?

In response to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent State of the State address advocating for increased safety measures on the roads, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has proposed a series of stricter penalties targeting high-risk drivers.


The new propositions include adding penalty points for offenses such as driving unlicensed, speeding in work zones, fleeing accident scenes involving injuries, or causing infractions like striking a bridge.

Currently, accumulating 11 penalty points within 18 months can lead to a license suspension. However, the DMV aims to extend this period to 24 months.


Additionally, the department seeks to modify the system determining the reissuance of licenses for chronic reckless drivers: currently, five drug or alcohol-related convictions result in non-renewal of licenses, but the DMV proposes decreasing this to four.

The DMV will consider public feedback on these proposals until November 6.