New Yorkers who repeatedly drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol will now face permanent loss of their driving privileges after four drug or alcohol-related convictions or incidents, such as failure to submit to a chemical test. This change became effective Jan. 3, following the adoption of stricter regulations from the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

The changes also allow for permanent license denial after three alcohol or drug-related driving convictions or incidents, plus one or more other serious driving offenses.

In addition, the DMV can now deny an application for re-licensure for two years if the applicant has three alcohol or drug-related driving convictions without a serious driving offense. Other applicants who meet the same criteria but have a current license revocation for an alcohol or drug-related conviction will face a five-year denial.

Drivers with prior drug or alcohol-related offenses are more likely to be repeat offenders, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drivers involved in fatal crashes who have blood alcohol concentrations above the legal limit have been shown to be four times more likely to have prior convictions for driving while impaired compared to drivers with no alcohol in their systems, according to NHTSA.

“At some point we have to say, ‘enough is enough.’ When someone is repeatedly convicted of driving under the influence, they need to be permanently removed from our roadways, and a ‘forfeit after four’ policy significantly increases our ability to do just that,” said Mark J.F. Schroeder, Commissioner of the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. “This law will appropriately take away the driving privileges of those who unfairly put everyone else on New York’s roads at greater risk.”

According to NHTSA, every day about 37 people in the U.S. die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 39 minutes. In 2022, 13,524 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths. These deaths were all preventable.

Alcohol is a depressant that reduces the function of the brain within 60 seconds, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely.