Titanic changes were made to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles' point system, effective Nov. 6. In more than 30 years of defending motorists from New York traffic tickets, we have not seen such a massive overhaul of the rules and regulations governing this system. Overall, the changes involve extending the length of time for a traffic conviction to be held against a motorist, increasing points for various moving violations and escalating penalties for drivers with points.

DMV explains that these changes “bolster the ability to remove drivers who engage in risky behavior from New York roadways and make it more difficult for persistent violators to get back their driving privilege.” While I agree that these ends will modestly help promote safe driving, it is my opinion that the primary reason behind most of these changes is for New York to use DMV to raise millions of dollars.