Official | The DMV will review cases individually and take away the driver’s license from those who drive while using their cell phone if they accumulate more violations

Using a cell phone while driving is not just another fine: it is one of the violations that can most quickly bring a driver to losing their license.

Through the point system, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) evaluates each driver’s record and, when using a cell phone while driving is added to other violations, it can end in the suspension of the driving permit.

The Government can take away the driver’s license through its point system: how does it work?

The DMV does not suspend a license for a single fine, but it does evaluate the accumulation of points over a certain period. In New York, the system works like this:

• 11 points or more in 24 months: the driver may be summoned to a hearing and their license may be suspended or revoked.
• Between 7 and 10 points in 24 months: the driver may be required to take a course.

Driving using your cell phone can leave you without a license

In New York, one of the states with the strictest point systems, being found guilty of using a cell phone or portable electronic device while driving adds 5 points to the driving record. It is one of the common violations that adds the most points at once.

To put that number in context: many traffic violations add between 3 and 4 points, so using a cell phone while driving is among the most penalized everyday violations.