North Carolina’s driving points system

As is the case with other states, North Carolina has a points system it uses to identify, and punish, drivers who have a pattern of being unsafe on the state’s roads or who commit serious safety violations while driving. These points are assessed administratively and are an additional penalty above and beyond having the pay a traffic ticket.

Statesville residents, as well as visitors to the area, have plenty of reasons to take these driving points seriously. If a person accumulates more than 7 of them on his or her record in a three-year period, then he or she will be ordered in to a driver safety class and will have to invest the time and some additional money, $65, in to enrolling and taking the course. If a person gets 12 points in three years, there will be a license suspension of at least 60 days and up to 1 year.

A person can pick up points quickly even for understandable or accidental behavior. Blowing a stop sign or traffic light, for example, is a 3-point assessment. Any speeding through a school zone or being over the speed limit when the speeds are in excess of 55 miles per hour is also a 3-point penalty. Following too closely is a 4-point assessment.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that a person’s insurance company is not bound to use this point system and may have their own means of assessing points for insurance purposes.

It is also important to remember that, in addition to North Carolina’s driving points system, the state can and will suspend a person’s license for a speeding ticket, even just one, if the person was traveling 15 miles over the limit and was also traveling at speeds greater than 55 miles per hour. Other suspensions related to speeding are possible as well.

As can be seen, there are many good reasons why a person might want to try to compromise with authorities if they get a traffic ticket to see if they can work something out. Even if they do wind up paying a fine, having a criminal law attorney who handles traffic violations help with negotiating a traffic ticket can protect a North Carolina motorist’s license down the road.