The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) states that moving violation convictions normally remain on a NYS driver record during the year that the conviction occurred and the following 3 calendar years.

The NYS DMV removes the conviction from your driver record on January 1 of the forth year. For example a conviction that occurred in 2008 will remain on your driving record until January 1, 2012.

If you have an accident that was placed on your New York driving record then normally it will also remain on a NY motor vehicle record (MVR) during the year that the accident occurred and for the following three years as well. The accident is then removed on January 1st of the forth year after the collision.

If the accident was considered by the state or DMV to be of a serious nature it can remain on a driver record for more than 10 years. Also serious driving offenses and convictions that are either alcohol-related or drug-related will remain on a person's driver record for exactly 10 years. If a driver is convicted of the same violation during that 10 year period, the motorist can receive additional penalties according to the NYS DMV site.

If you were also wondering how long points will stay on your New York driving record, it is for a different time period - only 18 months. Points are given in New York for various moving violations. In NYS the DMV computer system automatically calculates your point total when you are assigned points on your license for a moving violation. Your point total is the total number of driver violation points that you received during the 18 previous months.

Points are counted from the dates of your traffic violations, not from the dates of your traffic convictions. A traffic conviction is required for the points to appear on your driver record. Eighteen (18) months after the date of the violation, the points for that violation are removed from your point total. The convictions remain on your record for the time period we noted earlier.

If a driving violation on your NYS record has affected your insurance rates follow this link for an affordable auto insurance quote.