Old Traffic Ticket Info to be Made Available to Prosecutors

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York officials say additional information about old traffic tickets will be available to prosecutors considering plea bargains for new driving charges.

The Department of Motor Vehicles will make the information available for tickets issued during the past 10 years when the original charge was a violation bearing license points, was a drug or alcohol offense, or was for aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle. They say only data about convictions has been available previously.

Commonly, when drivers go to traffic court their original ticket is pleaded down to a lesser charge — for example, from speeding down to a parking violation. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the change is intended to help prosecutors make more informed decisions and help keep potentially dangerous drivers off the road.