How Long Do Points Stay On Your Driving Record in Florida?

Florida’s traffic laws were put in place to help protect road users and as a penalty for failing to abide by these laws, drivers can end up accruing points on their driving records. When enough points have accrued, a driver’s license could even be suspended. Fortunately, points don’t stay on a driving record indefinitely and there are often steps that drivers can take to help clear their records even faster. Read on to learn more about Florida’s system of assigning points to driving records for traffic violations.

Your Driving Record 

Florida Driver Services keeps a record of every traffic violation that a person makes. Each violation also comes with an assigned number of points (based on severity) that are then put on the driver’s record. Eventually, a driver’s license can be suspended if he or she:

• Incurs twelve points within a twelve month period, which comes with a 30 day suspension;
• Incurs 18 points within an 18 month period of time, which results in a three month suspension; or
• Incurs 24 points within a three year period, which comes with a one year license suspension.

Furthermore, a driver’s license can be suspended for one-time violations in certain cases, like when a person has been convicted of driving under the influence.

Number of Points Incurred

 Because the accrual of points on your license can result in a suspension, as well as other penalties, it’s a good idea to have a thorough understanding of the number of points that are assigned for certain violations. For instance, speeding (and most traffic violations) usually results in the accrual of three points on a driver’s license. Running a red light, failing to stop for a school bus, and reckless driving, on the other hand, are all four point violations. Fleeing the scene of an accident is considered an even more serious offense and adds at least six points to a person’s license.

How Long Points Will Stay on Your Driving Record 

In most cases, points will stay on your license for at least five years. It is possible, however, to have those points removed in certain cases. For instance, those who take a driver improvement course, while they’ll still have the ticket on their record, won’t have points placed on their license. This is only an option for certain violations. Drivers can also fight a ticket in court and if successful, have the ticket waived or reduced to an infraction that doesn’t come with the assessment of points on a driver’s record.

Call Today for Legal Help 

Having points on your driver’s license can result in increased insurance costs and eventually the suspension of your license. In fact, your driving record can even come into play during a personal injury case when attempting to assign liability. To learn more about how Florida’s driver’s license point system works and how your record could affect your civil case, please call Boone & Davis at 954-566-9919 and set up a meeting with one of our experienced Florida car accident lawyers today.

Source: 

flhsmv.gov/driver-licenses-id-cards/driver-license-suspensions-revocations/points-point-suspensions/