SC Speeding Ticket Point Value
There is no such thing as “just a speeding ticket” in South Carolina. Assuming your first reaction after being given a ticket is to curse yourself, your second may be to reach for your checkbook so you can pay the ticket and move on with your life. Due to our state’s point system, you could be signing away your driver’s license when you sign and send that check.
In South Carolina each traffic offense is worth a predetermined number of driving points and your driver’s license will be suspended once you accumulate enough of them. That’s why it’s so important to fight every traffic ticket you receive; it’s not about the current ticket, it’s about protecting yourself from the consequences of accumulated points.
You can’t go back in time or predict the future. You can do something NOW about the speeding ticket in front of you. Call 843-352-4149 now for a free consultation with a proven traffic defense lawyer from Drennan Law Firm. We represent drivers in Charleston and surrounding areas of South Carolina.
South Carolina Driver’s Licenses And Point System For Driving Offenses
In South Carolina’s point system, each offense is important no matter the amount of points because it can contribute to the loss of your driver’s license when combined with other offenses and their points. Beyond the accumulated points, each offense can result in increased costs to maintain your auto insurance, a financial penalty that can harm your monthly budget.
The forgiveness process is not quick either. Traffic points are reduced in half one year from the time they were levied, leaving plenty of time for offenses to add up and threaten your driving privileges.
A driver’s license suspension occurs once a driver reaches 12 points. Looking at the three groupings of offenses in the next section of this page, it’s easy to see how a few bad decisions in the course of a couple months or years could result in the loss of your driver’s license. A suspension could conceivably occur due to one traffic incident such as reckless driving resulting in a hit-and-run. Traffic offenses can happen in the blink-of-an-eye and that’s why it’s so important to keep points off your license whenever possible.
How Many Points Will You Get For A South Carolina Traffic Violation?
SC traffic tickets are divided into three categories of severity for the purposes of the SC driver’s license and point system:
Two points: Failing to dim lights, shifting lanes without signaling, improper or dangerous parking, operating without adequate lights, driving an unsafe vehicle, driving in the wrong lane, backing up improperly, speeding 10 mph or less than the posted speed limit.
Four points: Disobeying a traffic officer, driving on the wrong side of the road, unlawfully passing or turning, failure to yield the right of way, disobeying traffic signals or signs, driving through a safety zone, failure to signal, tailgating, driving with inadequate brakes, speeding between 10 mph-25 mph above the posted speed limit.
Six points: Reckless driving, passing a stopped school bus, hit-and-run with property damage, speeding 25 mph or more over the posted speed limit
Offenses such as DUI or hit-and-run resulting in injuries or death carry criminal penalties outside of South Carolina’s traffic point system. However, they share things in common with points-based offenses such as the suspension of your driver’s license and increased auto insurance costs.
When points lead to the suspension of your driver’s license you face another set of problems. Applying or a provisional driver’s license can be a hassle and comes with fees of its own. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the best way to avoid all the consequences of any speeding or traffic ticket – points, suspensions, fines, etc. – is to fight them in the first place with the help of a skilled traffic defense attorney.
South Carolina Traffic Ticket Penalties
“What’s the big deal about two points? I’m a good driver. I’ll pay the fine and in a couple years I’ll be back to zero points.” We’ve heard this sentiment from people who mean well. The problem is nobody can determine the future. You could be a model driver for decades only to hit a rough patch in your life or fall victim to some poor decision making. That two points can quickly become eight and eight can quickly become 12, leaving you to get around on public transportation or relying on your own two feet.
While you can’t go back in time and obey the speed limit or predict how you will drive in the future, you can do something right now if you’ve been issued a speeding ticket. Instead of letting two, four or six license and insurance points be added to your record, you can fight the ticket. In some cases it’s possible to obtain a reduction of points even if when a ticket is not completely dismissed. ANY reduction of points is a step in the right direction when your driving privileges are caught in the crosshairs.
You have much to gain and nothing to lose by speaking to an experienced traffic defense attorney at Drennan Law Firm about your speeding ticket or other traffic violation. This is truly one of those times in life where cutting corners – such as paying the ticket to make it go away – will cause problems that far outweigh the pleasure of instant gratification.
Remember this when you don’t feel like fighting your ticket: the alternative could be going back in time to your teen years. It wasn’t fun being without a license then and it hasn’t gotten any better since.
Step One: Do Nothing. Step Two: Call Drennan Law Firm
Don’t sign anything, pay anything, or even say anything about the circumstances of your traffic violation before consulting with an attorney. You won’t be able to talk your way out of a ticket, so accept it move on. Your next step is speaking to an experienced traffic defense lawyer from Drennan Law Firm. We have proven our ability to provide our clients with speeding ticket information, then take on tough traffic cases and win. Call us anytime at 843-352-4149 or contact us online to arrange your free initial consultation.