When Canadians travel in their vehicles throughout the United States, they have to be aware of what happens if they receive a traffic violation ticket. Many people think that if they receive a traffic ticket, it will not affect their driving record in Canada. If you are cited for a traffic violation in the US, there will be consequences in Canada.

Canadian drivers use to drive throughout the US and not worry about receiving a traffic ticket. If they did, they would just ignore it because there were not any consequences. Now, US State Governments and Provincial Governments share information about drivers and their traffic violations when there is a reciprocal agreement between the Province, Territory, and State.

The agreement among Provinces and Territories known as ‘The Canadian Driver License Compact' was put into operation in 1990. All provinces participating in the agreement agreed to exchange traffic offence information. Each province and territory agreed that traffic violations committed by a driver would result in demerit points given to the driver's license of the driver's home province. Each province and territory agreed to transfer the driver's license information if that driver was driving in another province or territory. Over the years, articles have been attached to the Canadian Driver License Compact. One important article as it relates to the US states:

"Appendix 2: If a driver of a motor vehicle is convicted, pursuant to Section 249 (1) of the Canadian Criminal Code, that information is shared with the other Provinces, Territories and specific U.S. State"

Many states have agreements with Canadian provinces regarding the transfer of demerit points for traffic violations received in the United States. For instance, in Ontario:

"Section 40 (1) of the Highway Traffic Act allows the Minister of Transportation to enter into a reciprocal agreement with the government of any state of the United States providing for the sanctioning by the licensing jurisdiction of drivers from that jurisdiction who commit offences in the other jurisdiction."

If, for example, a driver from Ontario receives a ticket in a state where points would normally be assessed in Ontario and that state has an agreement signed with the Province of Ontario, points will be assessed against the Ontario license. Most states have such agreements with most Canadian provinces

In Quebec, the SAAQ states "that an equivalent traffic offense committed in another province or in an American state with which Québec has a reciprocal agreement results in demerit points as if the offence occurred in Québec." Quebec has reciprocal agreements with such states as New York and Maine.

Demerit points placed on a driver's record stay there for two years after the date of conviction. The more demerit points that you have, the higher you insurance premiums will increase. There is no notice sent out when demerit points are taken off a person's driver's record.

Driving through the United States is a beautiful and fun experience. For Canadians, it is important for drivers to obey all traffic laws to avoid demerit points from being applied to their driver's license.