This story brought to you by Canan Law, voted best St. Augustine Attorney in 2012.
In the State of Florida, driving is considered a privilege that must be earned. You can lose your driving privileges for a number of infractions and matters as varied as failure to pay child support, addiction to drugs or alcohol, failure to pay traffic violation fines, and even racing on the highway.
Another way to lose your privilege to drive is to incur too many “violation points” on your license within a certain amount of time. Many common traffic infractions have a point value assigned to them, and a running tally is kept whenever you are ticketed. Points remain against your driver’s license for five years.
POINT SYSTEM:
- Leaving the scene of a crash resulting in property damage of more than $50 – 6 points
- Unlawful speed resulting in a crash – 6 points
- Reckless driving – 4 points
- Any moving violation resulting in a crash – 4 points
- Passing a stopped school bus – 4 points
- Driving during restricted hours – 3 points
- Unlawful speed – 16 MPH or more over lawful or posted speed – 4 points
- Violation of a traffic control signal/sign/device (red lights) (if camera-enforced, no points will be assessed) – 4 points
- Unlawful speed – 15 MPH or less over lawful or posted speed – 3 points
- All other moving violations (including parking on a highway outside the limits of municipalities) – 3 points
- Violation of curfew – 3 points
- Open container as an operator – 3 points
- Child restraint violation – 3 points
LICENSE SUSPENSION:
Your license may be suspended if you incur the following points:
- 12 points within a 12-month period: 30-day suspension
- 18 points within an 18-month period: three-month suspension
- 24 points within a 36-month period: one-year suspension
If you’re a minor (younger than 18), the law is even more strict; if you accrue just six points in a 12-month period, your license will be limited to “business purposes only” for one whole year. Earning more than six points in the same time period will result in a 90-day extension of your license limitations.
Points are given on the date the offense occurs. Driving out of state doesn’t help, either; you will accrue the same amount of points on your Florida license for convictions in any state or federal court.
If you are charged with a traffic violation which will result in points against your license, you have three options available:
- Pay the citation.
- Request a court hearing to contest the citation.
- Take an approved driver improvement course.
If you have been charged with any traffic ticket or offense in Florida, or your license has been suspended or revoked, the attorneys at Canan Law may be able to help you get back on the road.
Call us at (904) 849-2266 or stop by our offices at 43 Cincinnati Avenue in downtown St. Augustine if you have any questions about pedestrian accidents or personal injury cases.
Canan Law, the most respected team of attorneys in St. Augustine, keeps you informed with blog posts discussing legal terms and Florida court cases that matter to you. Our firm specializes in auto accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice cases. Ask your legal question today with our website’s live chat feature!
