I regularly have clients and colleagues asking how Virginia traffic tickets work for out-of-state drivers. Recently, a colleague posted on a national attorney listserv asking how a New York “right on red” ticket would translate to a Virginia driver’s record.
Virginia DMV’s rule is that IF they get record of an out-of-state conviction for a VA license holder, they will record the violation on the driving record and assess demerit points as if the violation occurred in Virginia.
New York and Virginia are both members of the Drivers License Compact, so I’d bet NY will tell Virginia about the “making a right on red” ticket. Virginia DMV will probably record it on the Virginia record as a right on red violation, which Virginia has a statute for (46.2-835). That would be assessed 3 demerit points under Virginia’s point rules.
Note that the points in this case just happen to be the same, but Virginia doesn’t look at or care what the out-of-state points are. Our DMV assesses points based on our scale.
Fortunately for New York drivers, the reverse isn’t true. I’m certainly not a New York attorney, but according to the New York DMV:
“The NYSDMV does not record out-of-state violations committed by NYS drivers in other jurisdictions.”
There are a few exceptions on that page, but none of them would in a Virginia red light ticket for a regular license holder.
Photo by: Thomas Hawk