The term “points on your license” refers to DMV Driver’s License Points, which play directly into your privilege to drive in the state of NC. Each moving violation you receive adds a certain number of points to your license, and accruing 12 points in a three year period can lead to your license being suspended.
See the break down of violations and points below.
Major violations, such as street racing or driving while impaired, can result in an automatic suspension — effective the day you are pulled over.
An important thing to be aware of is that DMV points (and insurance points, covered next) are shared state to state. That means even if you’re traveling from out of the area and get a speeding ticket here, the NC DMV will likely share the violation with the DMV in your home state. (As well as your insurance.)
If you accrue enough points that your license is suspended, here are the lengths of time you may be without:
- 60 days for a first time suspension
- 6 months for a second suspension
- 12 months for a third suspension
Also note that once you get your license reinstated after a suspension, it’s easier to lose it again afterward. It may only take 8 points (and not 12) after reinstatement to have it suspended again.
How insurance points work:
Unfortunately, there’s more to this topic of driving points than how they affect your license. There are also “insurance points” which you also accrue from moving violations, though they work a bit differently than DMV points.
While avoiding DMV points on your license is a worthwhile benefit to hiring an attorney for moving violations, in some cases avoiding insurance points is even more significant.
For example, a moving violation that adds a few points to your license may not have any other immediate ramifications if your record was clean. But even a single point added to your insurance can raise your rates 25%.
And a moving violation that adds 3 points, which is common for many types of speeding tickets? That can raise your rates by 40-90%! (See more below.)
That can make a huge difference in your month-to-month expenses, and the rate increases for 3 years from the date of your violation.
That means pleading guilty to a speeding ticket today can mean paying significantly more for car insurance for years – even if you are a model driver for those 3 years after the violation. What’s more, these points are cumulative for those 3 years.
If you get any more points during that time span, the increases to your insurance are added to the previous increases, which can quickly make affordable insurance become quite costly.
Drivers License Points Guide: How Many Points Violations Add (Regular Passenger Vehicles)
| Traffic Offense | Points Added |
| Littering while driving | 1 |
| Other violations not covered in this table | 2 |
| Not having liability insurance | 3 |
| Failure to report an accident when required | 3 |
| Speeding through safety/work zone/school zone | 3 |
| Driving with an expired license (more than 1 year) | 3 |
| Running a red light/stop sign | 3 |
| Failure to stop for an emergency vehicle | 3 |
| Speeding over 55mph | 3 |
| Illegal passing | 4 |
| Hit and run (property damage) | 4 |
| Reckless driving | 4 |
| Following too closely | 4 |
| Illegal passing | 4 |
| Passing a stopped school bus | 5 |
Insurance Points Added By Accidents:
| Severity of Accident | Points Added |
| Minor accident, with property damage or personal injury less than $1500 | 1 |
| Intermediate accident, at-fault and causing property damage between $1500-2500. | 2 |
| Major accidents, at-fault and causing more than $2500 in damage, or bodily injuries exceeding $1500 | 3 |
If you’ve recently received a speeding ticket in the Winston Salem, Yadkinville, or Wilkesboro areas give our office a call today! We’ve handled thousands of traffic tickets over the years, and would be happy to provide that peace of mind to you as well.
Call us today to discuss your case!
How Points Increase NC Auto Insurance Rates
| Insurance Points | Percent Increase In Premiums |
| 1 | 25% |
| 2 | 45% |
| 3 | 65% |
| 4 | 90% |
| 5 | 120% |
| 6 | 150% |
| 7 | 180% |
| 8 | 220% |
| 9 | 260% |
| 10 | 300% |
| 11 | 350% |
| 12 | 400% |
Stipulations of Safe Driving, Fault, and Insurance Points
The safe driver insurance plan (SDIP) is an attempt by insurance companies to more accurately predict if certain drivers are more likely than others to be involved in future accidents.
It begins with the presumption that an individual who has repeatedly been involved in accidents and moving violations is therefore more likely to continue to be involved in auto accidents in the future. In short, this is why accidents and insurance points increase premiums.
Where fault is determined, the points are assigned to the driver. In the event of an accident involving multiple vehicles, drivers not found at fault are not assessed points. The driver will generally receive the insurance points even when driving someone else’s car, unless they are a named driver on the vehicle owner’s policy — such as a family member driving another family member’s car.
Will McElwee has been a traffic attorney for over 25 years, and has established a solid track record helping folks from Boone and Wilkesboro to Winston Salem address traffic tickets. His family has a long and fruitful history in the area: the McElwee Law Firm began in 1932. Will’s grandfather, William H. McElwee, Jr., was a former president of the North Carolina Bar and sat on North Carolina’s Board of Law Examiners for many years.
As a “Double Deac,” Will attended Wake Forest University for both undergraduate and law school. He is a certified Superior Court and Family Financial Mediator and is also certified in the field of collaborative law.
