To find out what specific penalties you may receive if you are convicted of this speeding ticket for 24 mph over the limit you should contact the court listed on the citation. From the New Hampshire laws we have read it does not appear that this one speeding offense should result in you losing your driver's license, but again the traffic court involved in your speeding case will be able to tell you the penalties you may face.

The Department of Safety’s Administrative Rules gives some information on the points assessed for speeding violations and how many points a NH driver can accumulate before their license is suspended.

According to Saf-C 212.03 upon conviction of certain violations you will receive demerit points. Here it states that if you are cited under RSA 265:60-67 then it is 3 demerit points for speeding when the conviction is for speeding under 25 miles per hour above the posted speed limit.

Saf-C 212.02 is titled Assessment of Points and Suspensions and it states:

(a) Any person under 18 years of age who accumulates the number of demerit points specified below, in accordance with Saf-C 212.04 shall be subject to the following suspension period:

(1) For 6 demerit points in one calendar year, up to 3 months;

(2) For 12 demerit points in 2 consecutive calendar years, up to 6 months;

(3) For 18 demerit points in 3 consecutive calendar years, up to one year.

(b) Any person 18 to under 21 years of age who accumulates the number of demerit points specified below, in accordance with Saf-C 212.04, shall be subject to the following suspension period:

(1) For 9 demerit points in one calendar year, up to 3 months;

(2) For 15 demerit points in 2 consecutive calendar years, up to 6 months;

(3) For 21 demerit points in 3 consecutive calendar years, up to one year.

(c) Any person 21 years of age or older who accumulates the number of demerit points specified below, in accordance with Saf-C 212.04 shall be subject to the suspension period specified:

(1) For 12 demerit points in one calendar year, up to 3 months;

(2) For 18 demerit points in 2 consecutive calendar years, up to 6 months;

(3) For 24 demerit points in 3 consecutive calendar years, up to one year.

(d) For the purpose of assessing the points as specified in Saf-C 212.03, the violation date, not the conviction date, shall be used to determine whether the appropriate number of points have been obtained within a particular calendar year.

Thus for 1 speeding ticket worth only 3 points it does not appear that you would lose your license whether you are under 18, 18 to 21 or over 21.

You stated this is your first traffic ticket so overall your driving record would appear decent but you will need to be careful about being cited for more speeding offenses. According to Saf-C 207.04 if as a New Hampshire driver you are convicted of 4 or more speeding convictions within the same calendar year you can be required to file proof of financial responsibility in the form of an SR-22 certificate. The Division of Motor Vehicles can suspend a person's license and registration certificate and plates for 30 days if the person is non-compliant and does not obtain the required SR-22 in the mandated time period.

If you are worried about accumulating too many points on your NH motor vehicle record the state does allow you to take traffic school to reduce your points total. Saf-C 212.06 notes that if you have been assessed at least 3 points you can have the most recent point assessment total reduced by 3 points if you successfully complete an approved driver improvement course or driver attitude course.

To be eligible for the point reduction the course must be completed within the period for which the points are being assessed. This allows reductions to be applied retroactively but not prospectively. You cannot have your point total reduced by more than 3 points during any 3 complete consecutive calendar year period according to NH laws. While this points reduction goes toward the points that could cause your license to be suspended sub-section (e) of Saf-C 212.06 notes that this point total reduction shall not be reflected on the person’s motor vehicle record so that total points are accurately reported as prescribed in Saf-C 212.02.

If you are interested in taking a driving course to reduce points contact the NH Department of Safety or Division of Motor Vehicles for more information including a list of authorized schools to go to. If your insurance rates go up due to this speeding ticket then shop around for auto insurance. You can get instant car insurance quotes here with us.