Lowering Demerit Points in New Hampshire

When a ticket becomes a conviction: points are added

Under Saf-C 212.03, points go on only after a conviction and are dated by the violation. More serious offenses carry more points, and the DMV's complete chart covers dozens of RSA sections. If you were convicted out of state, ask the DMV how it will be counted before assuming it adds nothing.

• 1 point: driving without the registration certificate, an inspection violation, not getting a New Hampshire license
• 2 points: an unregistered vehicle, not showing a license, breaking a license restriction, littering
• 3 points: speeding by less than 25 mph, failure to yield, tailgating, a stop sign, not signaling
• 4 points: speeding by 25 mph or more, improper passing, negligent driving, using a handheld device
• 6 points: racing, DWI, driving while suspended, reckless driving, a school bus violation, conduct after an accident

Where the suspension lines sit

Saf-C 212.02 measures points in windows of one, two and three calendar years. In each tier the law permits a suspension of up to the stated length, and the Bureau of Hearings sets the actual period.

Take a 19 year old with a 4 point device ticket and a 3 point stop sign ticket in March and another 3 point ticket in September. That is 10 points in one calendar year, past the under 21 line of 9.

• Under 18: 6 points in a year allows up to 3 months; 12 in two years, up to 6 months; 18 in three years, up to a year
• Under 21: 9 points in a year allows up to 3 months; 15 in two years, up to 6 months; 21 in three years, up to a year
• 21 and older: 12 points in a year allows up to 3 months; 18 in two years, up to 6 months; 24 in three years, up to a year

Using the 3 point credit

Saf-C 212.06 cuts your latest point total by 3 when you hold at least 3 points and show proof that you completed either an approved driver improvement course or a driver attitude program. The cut counts only for suspension decisions and does not appear on the motor vehicle record itself, where the points remain visible.

Get the timing right. The course has to be finished inside the period when the points are under assessment. That makes it useful for points already on the books, not for later tickets. And nobody's total can fall by more than 3 within any run of 3 full consecutive calendar years.

If you are a young driver

For drivers under 20, points are only half the picture. RSA 263:14 allows a suspension after a hearing following a conviction. The ranges are 20 to 40 days the first time, 45 to 90 days the second, and 90 to 180 days from the third on, when an in-person driver attitude program is also required.

If a youth operator picks up two speeding convictions in the license's first two years, an SR-22 insurance filing is required for three years from the second hearing.

Checking your record

You can order your own record online, or put the request and $20 (checks to State of NH-DMV) into a DMV drop box. To release your record to another person, use form DSMV 505 with a notarized signature, and only the Concord drop box takes it.

On it you will see convictions, crashes, suspensions and restorations, whether an SR-22 is required, and when you finished a Safe Driver Course or an Attitude Program, provided the DMV received that certificate. Social Security numbers do not appear.

When old points stop mattering

A certified record carries each point for 3 years after the violation. With tiers built on one, two and three calendar year windows, an older conviction can drop out of the one year count yet still weigh in the two and three year counts.