Robert M. Hammers | November 14, 2024 | Georgia Law
Driving is a big responsibility. If you don’t take that responsibility seriously, you could end up in a car accident.
Georgia uses a point system to help enforce driving laws designed to protect drivers and passengers from harm. This system assigns points to your license whenever you violate driving laws. If you get too many points, the state will revoke your license.
The following overview will help you better understand Georgia’s point system and how it could affect your driving privileges.
How Do You Get Points Added To Your License?
State authorities will put points on your license whenever you’re convicted of most driving infractions. The most common infraction committed on Georgia roads is speeding. However, driving too fast isn’t the only offense you can get points for.
According to Georgia’s official Points Schedule, many infractions can result in the state adding points to your license. These include:
- Driving the wrong way in a lane (3 points)
- Failing to yield at an intersection (3 points)
- Exceeding the speed limit by 34 miles per hour or more (6 points)
- Reckless driving (4 points)
All offenses result in between one and six points being added to your license.
You can also be convicted of multiple offenses for a single incident. For example, if you run a stop sign while distracted and nearly cause an accident, you might be convicted of failing to yield at a stop sign and reckless driving. These two convictions would result in a total of seven points being added to your license.
Note that points are only applied when you’re convicted of an offense. Most drivers end up being convicted because they choose not to fight their charges. If you receive a ticket and don’t request a court hearing or sign the guilty plea, the state will convict you of the offense without a trial.
How Long Will Points Remain On My License?
The good news is that points won’t stay on your license indefinitely — they only remain active for two years from the date they’re added. Thus, if you gain 13 points in a single incident, all of them will disappear two years later. At that point, if you were to gain another three points, your license wouldn’t be suspended because it would only have three total points on it.
However, if you were to rack up 13 points in three separate incidents, the other points would remain when the points from the first incident were removed from your license. Because it’s a rolling system, you might be closer to getting suspended than you realize depending on when certain incidents occurred.
Is There Any Other Way To Remove Points From My License?
You may remove up to seven points from your license every five years. To do so, you must complete a certified driver improvement course. After finishing this course, you can mail the certificate of completion to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. When they receive it, you’ll be granted a point reduction.
Do DUIs Add Points To My License?
If you look closely at the Points Schedule, you’ll notice that it doesn’t include a point penalty for driving under the influence. However, that isn’t because there’s no penalty for driving under the influence.
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a misdemeanor or felony offense, meaning it falls under a separate system. Even if you don’t do anything that would otherwise earn you points (like getting into a DUI accident), the state will still revoke your license if you’re convicted of a DUI.
Will Getting Into An Accident Result In Points On My License?
Not necessarily. Typically, only the driver who’s responsible for the accident will receive points. As long as you were following the rules of the road when the incident occurred, the state won’t punish you for getting into an accident.
Are There Any Driving Offenses That Don’t Result In Points?
You can be convicted of two minor offenses that won’t result in points being added to your license. The first is speeding by less than 15 miles per hour over the posted limit. In this situation, you would receive a fine, but your license would stay clean. Georgia is one of the most generous states in the country in this regard.
The other offense that won’t result in points being added to your license is driving too fast for the conditions. This is where you drive at or below the posted speed limit but still present a danger to other drivers because of the particular conditions that exist at the time of the offense.
For example, if heavy rainfall or dense fog significantly reduces visibility, you should probably travel at least 5–10 miles per hour under the posted speed limit to keep yourself and other motorists safe. You can be fined for failing to lower your speed due to weather conditions but won’t receive points on your license unless the infraction rises to the level of recklessness.
Will Getting Points On My License Affect My Insurance Premiums?
There’s no definitive answer to this question. How your insurance premiums change based on getting points on your license depends on the agreement you have with your insurance company.
Some insurers start raising premiums as soon as a policyholder gets any points on their license. Others will forgive certain infractions (or even all infractions) until you reach a certain threshold. Reviewing your policy information to learn more about your insurance company’s rules and standards regarding license points is a good idea.
You Can Avoid a License Suspension With A Little Care
Georgia will only suspend your license if you accumulate 15 points during any two-year period. If you think you might be getting close, check your point total online and consider taking a defensive driving course. If you’re still at risk, you can protect your license by refraining from driving your vehicle until points are removed from your license.
With a solid understanding of Georgia’s driving laws and a little caution, you can avoid having points added to your license and keep yourself in good standing with the state.
Contact the Georgia Car Accident Lawyers at Hammers Law Firm Today
For more information, contact the Georgia car accident law firm of Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation. We have convenient locations in Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Lawrenceville, Mableton, Smyrna, and Roswell.
We serve Fulton County and its surrounding areas:
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Atlanta
201 Joseph E Lowery Blvd NW Suite 312,
Atlanta, GA 30314
(770) 900-9000
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Sandy Springs
5555 Glenridge Con, Suite 975,
Sandy Springs, GA 30342
(678) 605-9838
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Lawrenceville
265 Culver St S. Suite A.
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
(678) 916-8584
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Mableton
5701 Mableton Pkwy SW Suite 108,
Mableton, GA 30126
(706) 480-5487
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Smyrna
2400 Herodian Way Ste#220,
Smyrna, GA 30080
(678) 922-4497
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Roswell
110 Mansell Cir #111,
Roswell, GA 30075
(678) 582-8466