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If you have gotten a traffic violation of some sort, you are probably asking yourself a few questions regarding how it will affect your driving record and how the state records and reports that information.
Well, most states utilize a points system for driver’s licenses. Drivers receive points on their driving record when they commit certain traffic violations. Once a certain number of points have accumulated on your driving record, you may face license suspension or revocation!
Most drivers facing a license suspension have done so through multiple minor violations which ultimately lead to a suspension because of the accumulation of points on your driving record.
If you hold a Driver’s License in the State of California, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) does have a points system and is monitoring the points you receive due to traffic violations!
These points in California are called “Negligent Operator Points” (NOP). These Negligent Operator points are point values ranging from 0-3 points that are added to your driving record if law enforcement finds you responsible for a collision. If reports from law enforcement indicate that you, as a driver, contributed, were at fault, or were responsible for the collision, DMV then applies negligent operator points against your license.
DMV considers all evidence submitted in reaching a final determination regarding the driver’s negligent operator status.
So now you are probably asking yourself, “How do I get Negligent Operator Points?” Well, points are assigned to convictions for traffic violations that involve the safe operation of a motor vehicle. Point count traffic convictions are listed below. (Source: www.dmv.ca.gov)
One-Point Convictions
CVC §12810 requires DMV to assign one point to any conviction “involving the safe operation of a motor vehicle upon the highway.” Examples of one-point CVC violations are:
Two-Point Convictions
All two-point convictions are mandated by the CVC. These violations are considered more serious by the legislature because of the increased traffic safety risk. Examples of two-point convictions are:
This point system allows the DMV to identify careless or negligent drivers since ultimately these drivers will have an accumulation of violation points that are assessed when a driver is convicted of a moving violation, certain crimes, and “at fault” traffic collisions. This is an assumption that responsible drivers don’t rack up a ton of points on their driving records and in that becoming a dangerous driver on the road. This then allows the DMV in theory to remove unsafe drivers from the road and preserve public safety. While this approach is meant to protect other drivers on the road, the fact is that some drivers do just get unlucky but for the most part driving history can reveal a lot about driving habits whether that includes risky or safe driving behaviors! So to that point, always be cautious because those points can add up quick and nobody wants the inconvenience of losing driving privileges or increased auto insurance!
We have gone over what the point system looks like in the State of California so let’s talk about how many points area allowable within what time frame?
California Vehicle Code Section 12810, establishes the maximum number of points any driver can accumulate before named a Negligent Operator.
It is important to note that in some instances, multiple points can accumulate from one event.
For example, if a driver crashes his car and is then convicted of DUI, he can be assessed one point for the crash and two points for the DUI; for a total accumulation of three points from the one event.
Best advice is to avoid traffic violations because accumulating these points can affect your driving privileges and auto insurance cost!
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