Need Help Removing Points From Your License? We Can Help.

Officer Signing Traffic Ticket - Traffic ticket help Missouri

When you first get your driver’s license in Missouri, you start out with zero points on your driver’s license. These points are the scale that is used to determine when a person’s license should be suspended or revoked, and for how long. The more points you lose, the higher the chance you have of losing your license permanently. A person loses points when he or she is charged with a traffic citation and pleads guilty to the violation. 

Unfortunately, many people will pay the ticket (plead guilty) before asking for traffic ticket help in Missouri, which usually results in the suspension of their license for at least 30 days. To reduce the chance of you accumulating points and potentially losing your license, Springfield Traffic Tickets is here to help.

Continue reading to learn more about Missouri’s point system. Including, how points affect your license and insurance, along with how a traffic ticket attorney can help remove points from your license. If you have recently been charged with a traffic violation or need help removing points from your Missouri driver’s license, contact the law office of Springfield Traffic Tickets today. 

Missouri’s Point System Court House - Traffic ticket help Missouri

Each moving violation or traffic citation has a designated number points attached to it, which is determined by the state and the severity of the moving violation. As DMV.org explains it, license points are much like a game of golf; the fewer points you have, the better you’re doing. Usually, a couple of points isn’t a significant problem. However, the accumulation of points within a given time period can result in license suspension or revocation. Before your license is suspended, if you receive four points within a 12 month period, you will be sent an advisory letter from the Missouri Department of Revenue. In Missouri, points and their penalties can be broken down as follows, according to the Missouri DMV:

Driver’s license suspension (8 points or more within 18 months):

  • 1st suspension–30 days.
  • 2nd suspension—60 days.
  • 3rd suspension—90 days.

Driver’s license revocation for one year:

  • 12 points or more within 12 months.
  • 18 points or more within 24 months.
  • 24 points or more within 36 months.

If your license is suspended, you will also be required to obtain SR-22 insurance for high-risk drivers. 

Missouri Moving Violation Points

Common traffic violations such as speeding, failing to follow traffic signals, driving without a permit will cost anywhere from 2-4 points. While more severe crimes, such as a DUI, will add 8 points to your license automatically if you are found guilty. Here are some of the most common violations and their points that we so the most:

 

  • Excessive Speeding – 2 points
  • Failure to Produce insurance – 4 points
  • Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign – 2 points
  • Careless & Imprudent Driving – 2 points
  • Leaving The Scene of an Accident – 6 points
  • DUI/DWI – 8 points (1st offense), 12 points (subsequent offenses)
  • Driving with a Suspended or Revoked License – 12 points

You can find a full list of Missouri’s traffic violations with points here

Getting Points Removed From Your Missouri LicenseJustice - Traffic ticket help Missouri

There are a few ways that you can get points removed from your ticket, the first and easiest is to hire an attorney for traffic ticket help in Springfield. A traffic attorney can reduce your ticket to a non-moving violation (so no points will be added to your license) or, depending on the circumstances, may even be able to get it dropped completely.

The second option is if you pleaded guilty to an old moving violation, you could hire a traffic attorney to help you withdraw your guilty plea. Just like hiring an attorney when you first get a traffic ticket, you’ll need to go to court. The only difference is, you’ll now have to withdraw your guilty plea in order to have points removed and suspension or revocation lifted. Unsurprisingly, this is more difficult to achieve, but not impossible. Springfield Traffic Tickets has helped remove our clients new and old traffic citations to avoid points and suspensions. 

Another choice for removing points from your license is by enrolling and successfully completing the Missouri Driver Improvement Program (DIP). This is a smart option if you don’t hire traffic help in Springfield and are unable to reduce your citation to a non-moving violation. To enroll in an accredited school, contact your Springfield traffic lawyer as soon as you get your traffic ticket. 

The final option takes the longest. It will have you dealing with the repercussions that go along with pleading guilty (paying your ticket); time. For people who do not wish to receive traffic ticket help in Missouri, they will have to wait a few years before points are removed from their driver’s license. If your license has been suspended or revoked on account of an accumulation of points, you must first reinstate your license before any points can be removed. To restore your license in Missouri, you must provide the following:

  • For alcohol-related moving violations – You must provide proof of insurance (SR-22) and pay a $45 reinstatement feel. Additionally, you must have successfully completed a Substance Abuse Traffic Offender Program (SATOP).
  • For a non-alcohol related moving violation – You must pay a $20 reinstatement fee and provide proof of SR-22 insurance. 

Once your license is reinstated, you will have a total of 4 points remaining on your driver’s license. In Missouri, points are reduced and ultimately removed in accordance with the following timeline, as long as no additional violation occurs:

  • One year – total remaining points reduced by one-third
  • Two years – remaining points reduced by one-half
  • Three years – points reduced to zero

It should be noted that some traffic infractions, such as a DUI, can stay on your permanent record even once your driver’s license points are set back to zero. 

As experienced traffic attorneys, we have been able to reduce points, drop charges, and in some cases, have a traffic citation dropped entirely. Don’t pay your ticket and risk getting your license suspended. Call us today for unparalleled traffic ticket help in Springfield, MO