Last Updated 18th of January, 2010
How does getting a ticket with 6 points affect my driving record?
Well, that depends.
If you don’t have any other points on your driving record, those 6 points might not affect you much at all. Sure, having them isn’t ideal and in some situations might even affect your auto insurance or make it difficult for you to rent a vehicle, but overall, 6 points on an otherwise clean driving record isn’t the end of your driving career.
However, there are situations in which an additional 6 points can make or break you.
Pretend you live in Idaho for a minute. In Idaho, your license is suspended for 30 days if you accumulate 12-17 points in one year. (This is a common formula among states with established point systems: Certain Number of Points + Certain Time Period = Drivers License Suspension.) If you have no points on your driving record, or just a few, an extra 6 points might not matter; however, if you already have 6 or more points, an extra 6 within that year will land you in Suspensionville.
Keep in mind that even if you’re in a situation that an additional 6 points on your drivers license isn’t really going to hurt you as far as point accumulation goes, those points could still hurt you as far as the nature of the citation is concerned. Generally, the traffic tickets that carry 6 points are serious.
In Tennessee, for example, you get 6 points for fleeing an officer or driving 36-45 mph faster than the speed limit. In West Virginia, you get 6 points for fleeing the scene of an accident. Clearly, these aren’t the kinds of infractions anyone will take lightly.
Traffic School
When it comes to points and your driving record, traffic school can mean one of two things for you:
If you’re concerned about the number of points against your drivers license, contact your local DMV office or visit your state’s DMV Web site to find out information specific to your state and situation.
If you don’t have any other points on your driving record, those 6 points might not affect you much at all. Sure, having them isn’t ideal and in some situations might even affect your auto insurance or make it difficult for you to rent a vehicle, but overall, 6 points on an otherwise clean driving record isn’t the end of your driving career.
However, there are situations in which an additional 6 points can make or break you.
Pretend you live in Idaho for a minute. In Idaho, your license is suspended for 30 days if you accumulate 12-17 points in one year. (This is a common formula among states with established point systems: Certain Number of Points + Certain Time Period = Drivers License Suspension.) If you have no points on your driving record, or just a few, an extra 6 points might not matter; however, if you already have 6 or more points, an extra 6 within that year will land you in Suspensionville.
Keep in mind that even if you’re in a situation that an additional 6 points on your drivers license isn’t really going to hurt you as far as point accumulation goes, those points could still hurt you as far as the nature of the citation is concerned. Generally, the traffic tickets that carry 6 points are serious.
In Tennessee, for example, you get 6 points for fleeing an officer or driving 36-45 mph faster than the speed limit. In West Virginia, you get 6 points for fleeing the scene of an accident. Clearly, these aren’t the kinds of infractions anyone will take lightly.
Traffic School
When it comes to points and your driving record, traffic school can mean one of two things for you:
- A way to reduce your points. (In states that offer traffic school as a way to knock off a few points, it might be a requirement or it might just be an option.)
- A requirement to reinstate your suspended drivers license.
If you’re concerned about the number of points against your drivers license, contact your local DMV office or visit your state’s DMV Web site to find out information specific to your state and situation.
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