Demerit points and New Hampshire Driver licenses

A Breakdown of How Demerit Points Will Affect Your New Hampshire Driver’s License

A motorist who is cited for any traffic offense in the state of New Hampshire will almost certainly face the possibility of having demerit points added to their driver’s license. In New Hampshire, the demerit point system assigns differing numbers of points for various types of traffic related offenses. If you receive 12 points added to your license, then this can result in a 3 month suspension of your license and driving privileges. Minor traffic offenses, like improper passing of another vehicle, will usually generate less than 6 points, which is not enough to warrant a suspension; however, major traffic offenses, like a DWI conviction, will constitute an automatic suspension.

Any New Hampshire motorist who is the recipient of demerit points on their driver’s license is allowed to contest the citation in order to have these points removed. In New Hampshire, such hearings are classified as administrative hearings by the NH Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). If you were arrested for a DWI and were issued a total of 6 demerit points, then you could have your license suspended for three months. However, if you take quick, decisive action, then you can engage the services of an experienced NH DWI lawyer from our law firm to defend your legal rights at your upcoming administrative hearing. Your attorney’s goal at this hearing will be to question the evidence against you in order to have the administrative penalties significantly reduced, if not dismissed altogether.

The more demerit points you have on your driving record, the lengthier the potential suspension periods become. In their considerations, the New Hampshire also takes into account the period of time between each of your prior traffic citations. For example, if you earned 12 demerit points within a single calendar year (12 months), then your license will be suspended for three months; however, if you accumulated 18 demerit points within a 24 month period, your license will be suspended for approximately 6 months.

Demerit points will also be interpreted differently depending upon the age of the motorist who accrued them. For example, a motorist who is under the age of 18 years can have their driver’s license suspended for a total of three months if they accumulate just 6 demerit points within a single calendar year. For motorists who are between the ages of 18 to 21 years, they must acquire 9 demerit points within the same time frame to earn a license suspension of the same time length.

All New Hampshire motorists must take into account that prior DWI convictions can make further DWI administrative penalties much more severe. In fact, any past traffic citation possesses the potential, for a DWI offender, to lengthen their period of license suspension. For example, a motorist who accrues 24 demerit points within a 3 year time frame can have their license suspended for up to one calendar year.

To learn more about how traffic offenses and DWI convictions can warrant a driver’s license suspension, contact one of our New Hampshire DWI lawyers today.

If you have too many points you can take a class to lessen them. Except, for habitual offender purposes.