SGT

So I was on my way back home from snowboarding in Stratton this weekend and I was caught doing 68 in a 50mph zone. The local cop said he was pacing me and said I was actually doing about 80, but said he'd go easy on me. Anyways, on the ticket it said the fine is $147 and 2 points. Since this is an out-of-state ticket, do I need to worry about the points? Will my insurance company, Geico, find out about these points and will my insurance premium go up?

np20412

No, no, and no. Points for you only count if you are ticketed in the tri-state area. The points are listed for Vermont drivers only. You're insurance will not go up, you just have to pay the fine or else you'll have a warrant for your arrest in the state of Vermont. My dad has gotten plenty of tickets in Vermont and never once has his premium gone up or points.

SGT

That's awesome news if it's true. Not calling you a liar but on this website, it says that Vermont will notify the home state about the points.

http://www.vermontjudiciary.org/cour...olation.htm#18

Does Vermont inform other states about points, suspensions, and disqualifications?
Frequently, the Vermont DMV will inform other states about these matters. If you fail to pay a fine or if you are suspended, your home state will be notified. For information about your situation, call the Vermont DMV at 802-828-2050 or the motor vehicle department in the other state you are concerned about. 23 VSA 3904, 4113.

Or is that only if you fail to pay the fine?

tuddy

yea thats only if you fail to pay..something happend to me in virginia i got a ticket and i had to pay or my liscense was gonna get suspended...

SGT

Thanks, guys. My initial plan was to hire a lawyer b/c I didn't want any points, but now I guess I'll just save some money and pay the fine.

SGT

What's the difference between pleading "no contest" and "admitted?"

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

No Contest is neither an admission of guilt or innocence but you will accept the punishment (usually as already agreed upon)

Admitted guilt is a plea to avoid a trial, accept responsibility for the infraction and punishment (also usually agreed on in advance, usually for a lesser sentence)

Both plea's usually serve to avoid a trial and are in exchance for lighter sentences than the original infraction.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

SGT

Thanks, so I guess pleading either is basically the same thing.

Also found this on the NYS DMV website:

Out-of-state traffic violations: Except for Ontario and Quebec, points are not added to your NYS driver record if you commit an out-of-state traffic violation. Points can appear on your NYS driver record if you commit a traffic violation in Ontario or Quebec.

http://www.nysdmv.com/license.htm#points

np20412

I thought it was in the tri-state area....maybe the tri-state area is a bump in insurance, not necessarily points though.

mkorsu

I think it depends upon which state in the tri-state area. I know that as a NJ driver, any points I receive in NY are communicated, but I don't think it holds true the other way. Points in NJ are not sent to NY. I also don't think it is the state in which the violation occurred that is sending the info as much as it is the home state requesting the info. NJ will do ANYTHING to tack points on a drivers license so they can hit you with the state mandated "insurance surcharge", which has nothing to do with insurance and the money goes directly to the state! They have even taken it one step further. As of July of this year (I believe), if you go to court and plea a ticket charge down to where no points are assigned (this is assuming it was a point violation to begin with), the court must assess an additional fine. This is to ensure that the state still gets its greedy hands on that "insurance surcharge" money. For those not in the know, the insurance surcharge is afine paid every every year for 3 years for any points on your license over 4. This is a cumulative number too. So, if you receive violations over any consecutive 3 year period that totals 4 or more points, even if the points have been removed by DMV, the state will still fine you for a 3 year period. Absolute BS!!! I think I have paid a fine to them every year for the past 10-12 years!

SGT

Greed is the exact word I was thinking about.

SGT

Ok, here's the scoop from a Vermont lawyer himself. He said that because I have an out-of-state license and the ticket was for 2 points, I'll only accumulate those points in the state of Vermont. They will not notify the NYS DMV about those points unless I accumulate 10 points in Vermont, at which point my license would be suspended. It takes 2 years for points to fall off the record in Vermont. He also said that my insurance company probably wouldn't know about it unless I change providers or the plan. So I've made my decision to just plead "no contest" and pay the $147 fine and accept the 2 points in Vermont because I rarely travel up there anyways.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

Where did you cut and paste that from lol. By golly you are correct.