Licensing, insurance and the law
A probationary driver gets the license back after a 120-day suspension for texting, then is convicted of texting again within six months. What happens?
- The license is revoked for at least one year. Correct answer
- The license is suspended for another 120 days.
- The driver pays a higher fine, with no action on the license.
Why
For junior and probationary drivers, New York escalates quickly on phone and texting offenses. The first conviction brings a 120-day suspension. If the driver is convicted again within six months of getting the license back, the penalty moves from suspension to revocation, for at least one year. So repeating the 120 days is wrong, and so is the idea that only the fine goes up. Fines do climb for repeat texting, up to $250 for a second offense and $450 for a third within 18 months, but for these drivers the license action comes on top. The first conviction is counted in days, 120 of them; a second within six months of getting the license back is counted in years, at least one.
Where this comes from
New York State Driver's Manual (MV-21), April 2026 version. The correct answer is The license is revoked for at least one year.