There are states such as Florida and Texas that have similar pleas (adjudication withheld and deferred adjudication) to the Utah plea of abeyance however we are not aware of any plea in Idaho like this. You can however contact the court on your Idaho speeding ticket to see what options you have to have the ticket either dismissed or keep the violation and/or points from appearing on your Utah driving record.

From what we have read, in Idaho all traffic violations are handled by the magistrate division of the district court. The method of handling traffic citations depends upon whether the offense is an infraction or misdemeanor.

For misdemeanor traffic offenses, the defendant is normally required to appear in court in the county where the offense is alleged to have occurred. The amount of bail for misdemeanor traffic offenses is set forth in the Idaho Misdemeanor Criminal Rules.

Minor traffic offenses in Idaho are called infractions. An infraction is not a crime but is a civil public offense for which there is a maximum penalty of $100.00 and for which there can be no jail time imposed. The Supreme Court has established by court rule a fixed penalty schedule for infraction violations. The fixed penalties cannot be increased, decreased, suspended, or withheld by any court. The penalty is more in the nature of a fee, and the fixed penalty is not a criminal fine.

As you are likely aware both Idaho and Utah are part of the Drivers License Compact (DLC) so if you are convicted of the ID speeding citation Idaho courts will notify the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles of this out of state speeding violation.

The UT driver's handbook notes that UT is part of the DLC but does not state for certain if out of state violations are placed on a driver's record. The UT DMV site states that Utah is part of a compacts involving all 50 states and Canadian provinces, which shares information regarding convictions for traffic violations.

It is noted that when a driver is convicted of a moving traffic violation in Utah, notice of the court action is sent to the UT DMV for posting on the driver’s record. Also, if you are a commercial driver, your driving record will be submitted to the Commercial Driver License Information System and a record of suspensions and revocations will be forwarded to the National Driver Register.

The UT DMV notes that the conviction of specific offenses causes a record of conviction to be sent to the Utah Drivers License Division within ten days of the conviction or bail forfeiture. For example, convictions for speeding offenses will be reported to the Drivers License Division. However, some non-moving violations, such as lack of registration, will not be reported.

The Utah driver’s handbook did not state whether out of state convictions will be placed on your Utah driving record or not so we contact the DMV directly for an answer. Their representative responded that out of state moving violations (such as a speeding ticket from Idaho) would be added to your record and be assessed its appropriate point value.

As you should know the Driver License Division of Utah maintains the computerized driving and accident record of every driver in the state so the Idaho speeding citation would go here if you are convicted of it. In UT a motor vehicle record (MVR) contains a record of convictions for moving traffic violations and suspensions within the past three (3) years. All alcohol/drug related violations, suspensions, and revocations remain on the record for ten (10) years. So your out of state conviction would be dealt with the same as an in state traffic ticket.

As for traffic school for points, the Idaho Transportation Department notes that once every three (3) years, drivers may reduce their point total by three points if they complete an approved defensive driving course. The course must be taken before a suspension for accumulation of points takes place. A point reduction can only be applied on an Idaho driver's license record.

However reducing your points in Idaho isn't likely to help you in your home state of Utah. So when calling the court in Idaho ask if there is a way in which taking a defensive driving class would keep you from being convicted of the speeding offense or get it reduced to something (such as a non-moving violation) that would not be reported to Utah. If there is not than you can contact the Utah DMV to see if there is a traffic school that would help you take off these points you are assessed from this Idaho ticket.

Keep in mind that if this Idaho speeding ticket goes on your Utah driving record than your insurance company will see if next time they pull your MVR which means it could affect your auto insurance rates. Whether it will depends upon your insurance provider's rating system which you would need to get information about from your insurance agent.