No one likes getting pulled over for any reason, but getting convicted of a traffic violation carries more than just an inconvenience for North Carolina drivers. A conviction for a traffic violation in North Carolina carries with it a long lasting record on your driver’s license. Both the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and your insurance provider assign points to your driving record based on your convictions. Here is a list of North Carolina DMV points and insurance points assigned for convictions of different types.
North Carolina DMV Points and Insurance Points:
Conviction NC DMV Points Insurance Points
DWI ……………………………………………Revoked ………………..12
Death by motor vehicle………………………Revoked…………………12
Racing…………………………………………Revoked…………………10
Speeding to Elude……………………………Revoked………………….10
Driving while revoked………………………..Revoked………………….8
Over 75 in a less than 70 zone……………..Revoked ………………….4
Over 80 in a 70 or greater zone…………….Revoked………………….4
Passing stopped school bus ……………………..….5……………………4
Aggressive driving ……………………………………5……………………8
Reckless driving……………………………………..4……………………4
Hit and run with property damage only ……………..4…………………..4
Following too close ……………………………….…..4……………………2
Driving on wrong side of the road …………….……..4.………………..…2
Illegal Passing ………………………………………..4……………………2
Failure to yield right of way to pedestrian……………4..………………..…1
Failure to yield to motor scooter or bicycle …………..4…..………………1
Running stop sign ……………………………………..3…………………..1
Speeding in excess of 55 mph ………………………..3…………………..1
Failing to yield right of way……………………………3…………………..1
Running red light ……………………………………….3…………………..1
No driver’s license / expired more than one yr………..3…………………..1
Failure to stop for siren………………………………..3…………………..1
Driving through safety zone………………….…….…..3…………………..1
No liability insurance……………………….………….3……………………1
Failure to report accident …………….……….………3……………………1
Speeding in a school zone………….……..…….…….3……………………1
Failure to restrain a child…………..………….………2……………………1
speeding in 55 mph zone ……………………………..…….2………………….1
All other moving violations …….…………….…….……..2
As you can see from the chart, there are offenses which immediately revoke your license upon conviction, regardless of whether or not you are a first time offender or a repeat offender. These offenses include DWI’s, death by motor vehicle, racing, speeding to elude, driving while your license is already revoked, and speeding by significant margins.
DMV Points
There are also offenses which do not immediately revoke your license, but rather add DMV points to your license. If you accumulate too many points, then your license will be suspended. Under the state of North Carolina’s driving license points system, your driver’s license will be suspended if you accumulate 12 or more points within a three year period.
The requirements for driver’s license suspension are reduced if your license has been revoked before. For three years after your driver’s license is reinstated, it will get suspended again if you accumulate only 8 or more points – not 12 points.
For a quick overview of the different points and their consequences, watch the video below.
Insurance Points
Your insurance provider assigns its own points based on the convicted offense, and charges you a rate based on the number of points you have on your license. The higher your insurance points, the higher fees you pay per month to your insurance company (see our blog for more tips on how to deal with your auto insurance provider).
Insurance points do not increase for PJC’s (Prayer for Judgement Continued – a court granted motion which prevents those insurance points or DMV points), non-moving violations of all kinds, or speeding under 10 mph over the limit when there are no other moving violations within three years of the citation.
Contact Us
If you have been involved in a car accident or otherwise injured due to no fault of your own, please call or email our office. An experienced Minick Law DMV Hearing Attorney is standing by to discuss your case with you. Consultations are always free, and we are happy to provide guidance if handling the case yourself is in your best interest.
