Traffic Tickets And Driving Record Points

Traffic Tickets And Driving Record Points

Some might assume that traffic tickets aren’t very serious. However, how a person responds to receiving such a ticket can be impactful on many fronts. Being found guilty of a traffic offense can have many implications for a driver. This includes points possibly being added to his or her driving record.

How many points does a traffic violation lead to?

Here in Michigan, traffic offenses vary in how many points can be assessed for a conviction. So, there is no one uniform answer to this question, it depends on what exactly a person was ticketed for. Here are the standard point penalties for some common types of traffic violations:

• Speeding: Two to four points, depending on how fast a driver was going
• Disobeying a stop sign: Three points
• Disobeying a traffic light: Three points
• Careless driving: Three points
• Improper passing: Three points
• Reckless driving: Six points

Skilled traffic violation defense lawyers can help individuals who have received traffic tickets understand what consequences, including point penalties, being found guilty of the particular traffic violations they have been accused of could expose them to.

How long do points stay on your record?

In Michigan, the points are given for a traffic violation generally stay on a person’s record for two years following the conviction.

Points and your driving privileges

Why does it matter how many points a person has on their record? Well, a person having too many points on one’s current record could put him or her in danger of temporarily losing his or her driving privileges. Generally, the threshold in which the possibility of such privileges getting suspended comes onto the table here in Michigan is 12 points.