Nobody’s perfect, and everyone can have an off day behind the wheel. You might have accidentally stepped on the gas a bit too much or missed that pesky yield sign. Who decided to put it there, anyway? If you’ve ended up with a traffic ticket, what can you do about it?

How to ERASE points from your driving record

The best way to reduce points on your license in California is to take a defensive driving course. Finish the necessary requirements and present your certificate of completion to the court and, not only could your record be cleared, but you just might earn yourself an insurance discount.

There’s a lot to know about getting a ticket dismissed through a California DMV approved defensive driving course. Not only do you have several options, understanding the DMV point system can be complicated. While many people opt to pay the fine and move on, this may not be in their best interest. Armed with a little knowledge you’ll be able to navigate the system, find a defensive driving course, and get that ticket dismissed.

California Point System

The California DMV utilizes a point system to grade your driving record. Everyone starts with a clean record, but you will get points added to your California driver’s license for each violation you are cited for. The following are examples of what can cause an increase in the point count on your driving record.

  • Moving violations. (Traffic tickets)
  • Having mechanical parts of your car not working. Things such as broken taillights and inadequate child safety equipment qualify.
  • Reckless driving.
  • Driving without a valid license. (Suspended or revoked)
  • Being part of a hit-and-run accident.
  • Any kind of DUI.
  • Being part of an accident that caused damage of over $500.

Usually, moving violations will add one point to your driving record, but that can change based on the severity of the violation. If you get caught for reckless driving, a DUI, or excessive speeding, you’re looking at more than one point, and that’s on top of additional fines and consequences. Not to mention the potential increase to your insurance premium you may be looking when it’s time to deal with your insurance company

Suspended CA Driver’s Licenses

In California, driving is considered a privilege and not a right. This means that you may have your driver’s license suspend or taken away if you go over a certain amount of points on your driving record.

The following shows the threshold of points for a given time period that will put you at risk of having your license suspended or revoked.

  • Four points in a 12 month period.
  • Six points in a 24 month period.
  • Eight points in a 36 month period.

Many people think driving record points are automatically erased one year after the violation, but this is not always the case. If you have points you are curious about, you can check out the DMV Violation Codes.

Insurance Rate Consequences

When signing up for an insurance policy, or renewing your policy, your auto insurance company looks over your driving record. If you have points on your record, you will be paying more than someone who has a clean record. If renewing, you may experience a big increase in rates that may cause you to look for a new company.

Being Notified of Added Points

You will be told by the CA DMV when you have had points tacked onto your record. If you’ve gotten half the points needed before a revocation, you will get a letter in the mail from the DMV.

Once you only have one point left before a revocation, you will get a “Notice of Intent to Suspend” letter from he DMV. This means you are very close to having your license taken away.

If you happen to go over the points threshold and have your license taken away, you will get an Order of Probation/Suspension from the California DMV.

Commercial Driving in California

For those who have a commercial driver’s license in California, you will earn 1.5 times the points that a noncommercial driver would earn. Additionally, you could face increased penalties for traffic tickets issued while you’re operating a commercial vehicle.

How to Clear Your California Driving Record

The biggest factor in clearing your record of points is just to wait it out. With time, each violation will disappear from your record. Here are the periods of time you can expect to wait before each violation is removed from your record:

  • If the violation added 1 point to your record, you can expect to wait 3 years to have it erased.
  • In the event that you are found guilty of a DUI or hit-and-run, you will have to wait 10 years before it is erased.
  • Should you don’t appear in court, it remains on your driving record for 5 years.
  • Not appearing in court for a DUI stays on your record for 10 years.

Avoiding Points Altogether

Of course, the best way to avoid having to deal with the points system is to not commit any violations in the first place. However, if you do happen to get some points, you still have options for getting them taken off your record:

A. Contest your ticket in court. If you have a strong case against your ticket, you can fight it in court. However, it should be noted that you may not be able to take traffic school to erase points if you decide to do this.

B. Enroll in Traffic School. Traffic school is the best way to have your points taken away and assure that the violation won’t be on your record. You are only eligible to take a traffic school course once every 18 months. If you have been convicted of a DUI or another serious violation, you may not be eligible.

If you’re ready to make the Department of Motor Vehicles points system work for you and take on traffic school, take some points off of your license, and potentially make yourself eligible for an auto insurance discount, register for a defensive driving course to get started today!