How is My Out-of-State License Affected By an Arizona Traffic Offense?

 Driver’s licenses are mainly governed by the state where they were retrieved. But if a driver drives in and violates traffic rules in another state and is held in a conviction for a traffic offense,  they can still be penalized with fines and suspensions, subject to certain limitations.

How Arizona Penalizes Out-of-State Driver’s Licenses

When a person with an out-of-state license receives a traffic violation ticket and is convicted in Arizona, the court reports their violation to the Arizona Motor Vehicle Department. This agency can impose the standard penalties for the offense, such as a 90-day license suspension for a DUI.

 

While this suspension of a driver’s privileges is only applicable within Arizona, the Arizona Motor Vehicle Department can also report the violation to the licensing agency that issued the subject license, who can likewise take action against the driver based on their own State’s traffic rules, regulations, and penalties.

 

For example, a driver with a California license who gets a traffic violation in Arizona can also be subject to penalties and suspensions in California.

Reinstating Driving Privileges in Arizona

When a person’s license gets suspended in Arizona and the driver completes the suspension period, they will have to go back and reinstate their privilege to drive in Arizona. Some out-of-state drivers neglect this, especially those who have no plans of visiting and driving in the State in the future.

 

However, the failure to reinstate driving privileges in Arizona can lead to problems with the driver’s license in the long run. Their licensing agency in their state of residence has the authority to suspend their license until they clear up their traffic offense in Arizona.

 

With that, any traffic violation should be completely cleared up in the State it occurred to prevent it from affecting the driver’s license even further.