Starting in February 2026, New York drivers will have far less wiggle room on the road. A sweeping overhaul of the state’s Driver Violation Point System will make it easier to lose a license, and even a tiny slip like going 1 mile per hour over the limit could carry real consequences for your record. State officials frame the changes as part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s broader “Achieving the New York Dream” agenda for a safer, more livable New York.
New York Driver Violation Point System changes begin February 2026
At the heart of the reform is a simple idea that feels pretty tough in practice. New York wants to flag high-risk drivers faster and keep them off the road for longer.
The Department of Motor Vehicles has pushed through new regulations that increase point values for common violations and expand how far back your record can be used against you.
Speeding penalties and points increase for 1 to 10 mph over the limit
Here are some of the headline changes that will apply statewide once the rules take effect in February 2026, according to state and county officials
- Speeding 1 to 10 miles per hour over the limit will carry 4 points on your license instead of 3.
- Using a cell phone or handheld device while driving will carry 6 points instead of 5.
- Failing to yield to a pedestrian will jump from 3 points to 5.
- Reckless driving or illegally passing a stopped school bus will rise from 5 points to 8.
- Failing to move over for emergency vehicles will be 3 points.
- Illegal U turns and obstructing traffic will each carry 2 points.
- Equipment violations will add 1 point per incident.
License suspension threshold shifts to 10 points over 24 months
On top of that, the point window is getting longer and the margin for error is getting smaller. Today, most New York drivers know the magic number by heart. Eleven points in eighteen months and you are looking at suspension. Under the new rules, drivers can face suspension with 10 points within a 24 month period. In practical terms, that means a couple of “small” tickets that used to age off more quickly may now stack up and follow you for two full years.
Why New York is tightening traffic enforcement and safety rules
So why is the state tightening the screws now, just as many people feel traffic is finally back to normal after the pandemic years. Safety data has been moving in two directions at once. A report cited by state lawmakers found that New York recorded 1,175 motor vehicle fatalities in 2022, up more than a quarter compared with 2019, and that about one in three deaths involved speeding. Nationwide, federal data show that speeding was a factor in 11,775 deaths in 2023, nearly three in ten traffic fatalities.
At the same time, New York’s traffic safety officials reported a promising drop in deadly crashes in 2025, with fatalities falling from 766 in the first ten months of 2024 to 681 in the same period of 2025. DMV Commissioner Mark J F Schroeder called the decline “dramatic and wonderful to see” but warned that “any life lost on our roads is one too many.” In other words, the numbers are better, but not good enough.
What the 1 mph speeding rule means in practice for drivers
That is the backdrop for the much talked about “1 mile per hour” rule. Legally, New York has always treated any speed over the posted limit as speeding. The new regulations do not invent that standard, but they do raise the stakes.
If you are stopped for even a small overage, that ticket now sits in the 1 to 10 mile per hour band that carries 4 points instead of 3. For drivers who already treat the speed limit sign as more of a suggestion on the Thruway or during the morning school run, that extra point is not trivial once you zoom out over two years.
The crackdown does not stop at cruising a little too fast. Work zones are getting special attention, with all speeding in a construction area now grouped among the highest point penalties, and passing a stopped school bus or driving recklessly now costs 8 points in one shot. A bad night or one impatient decision in traffic can now push a driver most of the way to the suspension line.
Distracted driving, school bus violations, and Safe System road safety approach
For everyday drivers, the practical impact is less abstract than it sounds in the rule book. Picture a year where you pick up a low-level speeding ticket on a weekend trip, tap out a quick text at a red light and get caught, then misjudge a crosswalk and fail to yield while making a left turn in the rain.
Under the new system, that pattern can easily add up to double digit points. Traffic lawyers are already warning that more clients will arrive at their offices surprised to be on the brink of losing their license after what they thought were routine tickets.
Safety advocates argue that tougher penalties are only one piece of the puzzle. New York is also leaning into education campaigns on distracted and impaired driving and has embraced a “Safe System” approach that tries to design roads so that human mistakes are less likely to be fatal.
Still, the point system overhaul sends a clear signal that state leaders want the culture behind the wheel to change as well. The old idea that five or nine miles over the limit “does not really count” is slowly being retired.
For drivers, the takeaway is simple, even if it is not easy. Treat the posted limit as a hard ceiling, especially in work zones and around schools. Put the phone out of reach before pulling away from the curb.
Remember that every ticket is no longer just a one-off annoyance on the kitchen counter but part of a two-year trail that can end in a suspended license and a big jump in insurance costs.
The official statement was published by Erie County Clerk Michael P. Kearns.
