New Mexico’s Traffic Violation Point System

The violations that can lead to license suspension under New Mexico’s license demerit point system.

In an effort to identify habitually reckless or negligent drivers, New Mexico keeps track of all traffic convictions. Each traffic violation will result in an assessment of points. Accumulating too many points within a year will result in license suspension.

Point Values for Traffic Tickets

The following is a list of some of the most common traffic violations and associated points.

Violation

Points Assessed

Speeding 26 or more miles per hour over limit

8

Passing stopped school bus

6

Reckless driving

6

Racing

6

Speeding 16 to 25 miles per hour over limit

5

Failure to yield to emergency vehicle

4

Careless driving

3

Failure to yield or obey traffic signal

3

Following too closely

3

Improper turn

3

Improper passing

3

Left of center

3

Speeding 6 to 15 miles per hour over limit

3

Defective equipment

2

Failure to signal

2

Child restraint violation

2

Seatbelt violation

2

Overloaded vehicle

2

Certain violations, such as speeding on rural roads, do not result in a point assessment.

Consequences of Getting Too Many Points

The actions taken by the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) for point accumulation depend on the number of points the driver has gotten within the last year.

Six points. A driver who obtains six points within a year will usually receive a warning letter outlining the penalties that will result from future traffic violations.

Seven points. At the time of sentencing, the judge is permitted to order a license suspension of up to three months for drivers with seven to 12 points within the last year. The court forwards the suspension order to the MVD to immediately issue the suspension.

12 points. Accumulating 12 points within 12 months will result in a 12-month license suspension. If, at any point, the MVD sees that a driver has accumulated 12 or more points within the last year, it will issue a notice of suspension indicating the suspension start date and right to appeal.

Appeal. If the driver requests an appeal, the MVD will hold an administrative hearing regarding the validity of the suspension, including a review of the driver's record.

Reinstatement

After serving the license suspension, a driver must apply for license reinstatement. This application must include the reinstatement fee and a completion certificate from an approved driver improvement course. The applicant might also be required to retake the written driver's license examination or vision test.

Suspended drivers are allowed to apply for a limited driver's license. This license authorizes operation to and from work or school but only during certain days, certain hours, and at certain locations.

Reducing Points

All license points are expunged from the driver's record 12 months after the violation date. New Mexico does not permit the reduction of points by taking the driver improvement course, but some courts will offer a dismissal of the traffic offense if the driver completes a driver improvement course, which in turn prevents point assessment.

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