Drivers License Points: What They Are And How To Remove Them

While most of us go through life thinking that earning points is a good thing. When it comes to your driver's license, it is never a good thing to accumulate more and more points. Rack up those points in a sports game, but not on your driving record! So, what are driver license points and how do you get rid of them? We address that topic in today's blog post!

Driver's License Points - What Are They?

Depending on what state you live in, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) may have a driver violation point system. What does that mean? For every traffic or serious offense a driver makes, they will receive a point (or multiple points) on their driver license. An example of this would be texting while driving. In Colorado, that would be one point on your license for your first offense, while in Missouri it would add two points to your license.

For states with a point system, they have a maximum number of points you can get before having your license suspended or revoked. In addition, each point you obtain on your driver's license is reported to your car insurance company, which causes your premiums to go up.

Not All States Use A Point System

As we all know, not every state is the same when it comes to rules and regulations of the road. With that being said, not every state uses a driving point system. The states not using a point system are:

• Hawaii
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Minnesota
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Wyoming
• Washington

While the majority of the states do have point systems, each state is different in how those points work. As we saw in the example above, different states give out different points for the same violation. Also, many states will include out-of-state violations. This means the points on your drivers license will stay with you, even if you move to another state.

How To Remove Points From Your Driver License

If you have received a ticket recently for some type of driving violation, then you are probably worried about getting those points added onto your license and your car insurance rates going up. While that likely will happen, you may have a chance to prevent those points from going onto your license.

Depending on the infraction, many states will allow you to attend traffic school. If this is allowed, traffic school can help reduce the cost of your ticket, hide the violation from your record and the point(s) won't be added to your license. This also means your insurance rates won't go up, as the insurer will never know you got the ticket to begin with.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our friendly support staff. If you want to start your driver's training journey with Coastline Academy, make sure to sign up for Drivers Ed and book your driving lesson today.