Maintaining a clean FL driving record and taking a FL traffic school to dismiss a ticket is important for many distinct reasons. One of the main reasons is so that you can continue to drive without the risk of getting your license suspended. Another is so that you can get lower auto insurance costs on a monthly basis. The way that Florida keeps track of how well people have been driving over a set period of time is through the points system.

How Does the FL Points System Work?

Points are added to a driving record based on the type of traffic infraction that occurs. Most of the common ones, and some others, are assigned a points value and if a driver is given a traffic violation, the number of points that are assigned to that type of infraction is placed on their driving record. The points system is in place to help keep safe drivers on the road because if a certain number of points are on a license or if multiple infractions of the same kind occur within a given period, then some or all driving privileges may be lost by the driver.

The way it is set up is that the more severe the infraction is, the more points are added to the driving record of the individual. There are some infractions that can lead to an automatic suspension as well such as offenses that are drug or alcohol-related, failure to pay child support, street racing, and failure to pay fines for traffic violations. Otherwise, license suspension is specifically outlined in the law as follows:

• If 12 points are added to a record within 12 months, then driving privileges are suspended for 30 days.

• If 18 points are added to a record within 18 months, then driving privileges are suspended for 3 months.

• If 24 points are added to a record within 36 months, then driving privileges are suspended for one year.

What are the common point values and how long do they stay on the driving record?

It is important to understand what some of the common violations are and their point values, so you can not only know what to avoid on the roads but also try to determine what your current points are, if any. These are some of the most common traffic infractions and their corresponding points value for driver’s in Florida.

• Speeding up to 15 miles per hour over the posted limit – 3 points

• Speeding over 15 miles per hour over the posted limit – 4 points

• Speeding that results in an accident – 6 points

• Littering – 3 points

• Violating child safety restraining laws – 3 points

• Driving with an open alcohol container in your vehicle – 3 points

• Driving recklessly – 4 points

• Having a collision that resulted from a standard moving violation – 4 points

• Leaving the scene of an accident that has property damage over $50 – 6 points

• Illegally passing a stopped school bus – 4 points

Of course, these are just some of the more common violations but there are many more that have corresponding point values. The severity of the violation will determine how long the points will stay on your driving record. Most of the time, they will stay on your record anywhere from 3 to 5 years but violations that are more serious can stay on your record for up to 10 years. You can have some points removed by taking a course from an online traffic school FL, however. You should find out how many points you have from your official driving record and if you wish to get some removed, sign up for our FL traffic school.