There are two important point systems related to driving in North Carolina. There are DMV points and insurance points. This guide will explain what North Carolina DMV points are, and how they affect your North Carolina driver’s license.
DMV points, or driver’s license points, are points assessed to you by the North Carolina DMV. DMV points help the North Carolina DMV determine whether you get to keep your driver’s license. Generally, your driver’s license will be suspended if you accumulate 12 or more DMV points within a three-year period. Also, when adding up your DMV points, note that if you are charged with multiple traffic violations in the same occurrence, North Carolina DMV points are typically only assessed for the greater traffic violation. Below is a list of driving charges, and the amount of DMV Points associated with each charge.
| Offense | DMV Points |
|---|---|
| Manslaughter or Negligent Homicide | Suspended |
| Pre-arranged Highway Racing | Suspended |
| Hit and Run (injury/death) | Suspended |
| DWI (.08 BAC or more) | Suspended |
| Transporting Illegal Liquor for Sale | Suspended |
| Highway Racing | Suspended |
| Speeding to Elude Arrest | Suspended |
| Driving While Revoked or Suspended | Suspended |
| Aggressive Driving (Comm. Lic.) | 6 Points |
| Aggressive Driving (Class C License) | 5 Points |
| Reckless Driving | 4 Points |
| Hit and Run (property damage) | 4 Points |
| Passing a Stopped School Bus | 5 Points |
| Speeding (75 mph or greater when limit < 70) | Suspended |
| Speeding (80 mph or greater when limit 70) | 3 Points |
| Driver Under 21 Driving after Consuming Alcohol/Drugs | Suspended |
| At-Fault Accident (injury/death > $800, or property damage > $3,000) | Suspended |
| Illegal Passing | 4 Points |
| Following Too Closely | 4 Points |
| Driving on Wrong Side of Road | 4 Points |
| Stop Sign/Stop Light Violation | 3 Points |
| Speeding Through a Safety Zone | 3 Points |
| Driving with no Operator’s License | 3 Points |
| Failure to Yield Right of Way | 3 Points |
| Failure to Stop for Siren | 3 Points |
| Driving with no Liability Insurance | 3 Points |
| At Fault Accident (property damage > $1,800, but < $3,000) | 3 Points |
| Speeding (>10 mph over limit when speed limit is > 55, but < 76) | 3 Points |
| Speeding (less than 10mph over limit when speed limit is 55 or greater) | See Below |
| Speeding when limit is 55 mph or greater | 3 Points |
| Speeding when limit is 55 mph or less | 2 Points |
| Speeding in School Zone | 3 Points |
| All other Moving Violations | 2 Points |
| Failure to Restrain Child in Restraint | 2 Points |
| At-Fault Accidents (injury or property damage < $1,800) | 3 Points |
| Speeding (10 mph or less over limit when speed limit is less than 55) | 2 Points |
| Littering from vehicle | 1 Point |
| Non-Moving Violations | 0 Points |
There are circumstances, other than accumulating 12 or more DMV points, in which the North Carolina DMV can suspend your driver’s license. Below are some, but not all, of the other circumstances in which the North Carolina DMV can suspend your driver’s license:
- You accumulate 8 or more driver’s license points within three years after reinstatement of a license following a suspension/revocation for a traffic violation.
- You are convicted of speeding more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit when the ticketed speed is over 55 miles per hour.
- You are convicted of speeding more than 75 miles per hour where the speed limit is less than 70 miles per hour.
- You are convicted of speeding more than 80 miles per hour where the speed limit is 70 miles per hour.
- You are convicted of two or more speeding charges where your speed is more than 55 mph (and not more than 80 miles per hour), or, one or more convictions of reckless driving and one or more charges of speeding more than 55 (and not more than 80 miles per hour), within 12 months.
Generally, a North Carolina driver’s license suspension is for up to 60 days for the first suspension, up to 6 months for the second suspension, and up to one year for the third and subsequent suspension.
Kreger Brodish’s North Carolina Speeding Ticket Attorneys serve clients charged with speeding and other traffic violations in Durham County, Guilford County (including the cities of Gibsonville, Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield, and Whitsett) and Orange County (including the cities of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough).
How Insurance Points Play A Role in North Carolina
There are two notable point systems linked to driving in North Carolina. There are insurance points and DMV points. This manual will clarify what North Carolina insurance points are, and how they will impact your North Carolina auto insurance premiums.
North Carolina insurance points, or SDIP points (Safe Driver Incentive Plan points), are points recognized by the North Carolina Department of Insurance when deciding how much your auto insurance company can charge you for auto insurance. The North Carolina Safe Driver Incentive Plan (the “SDIP”) was set up in 1957, and it is designed to financially motivate you to drive safely. Under the SDIP, drivers that accumulate insurance points will pay between 25% and 340% more for auto insurance. Below is a list of driving charges, and the amount of insurance points associated with each charge. Also, when adding up your insurance points, be aware that if you are charged with more than one traffic violation in the same incident, insurance points are generally assessed for each of the traffic charges.
| Offense | Insurance Points |
|---|---|
| Manslaughter or Negligent Homicide | 12 Points |
| Pre-arranged Highway Racing | 12 Points |
| Hit and Run (injury/death) | 12 Points |
| DWI (.08 BAC or more) | 12 Points |
| Transporting Illegal Liquor for Sale | 12 Points |
| Highway Racing | 10 Points |
| Speeding to Elude Arrest | 10 Points |
| Driving While Revoked or Suspended | 8 Points |
| Aggressive Driving (Comm. Lic.) | 8 Points |
| Aggressive Driving (Class C License) | 8 Points |
| Reckless Driving | 4 Points |
| Hit and Run (property damage) | 4 Points |
| Passing a Stopped School Bus | 4 Points |
| Speeding (75 mph or greater when limit < 70) | 4 Points |
| Speeding (80 mph or greater when limit 70) | 4 Points |
| Driver under 21 driving after Consuming Alcohol/Drugs | 4 Points |
| At-Fault Accident (injury/death >$800, or property damage >$3,000) | 3 Points |
| Illegal Passing | 2 Points |
| Following Too Closely | 2 Points |
| Driving on Wrong Side of Road | 2 Points |
| Stop Sign/Stop Light Violation | 1 Point |
| Speeding Through a Safety Zone | By Speed |
| Driving with no Operator’s License | 1 Point |
| Failure to Yield Right of Way | 1 Point |
| Failure to Stop for Siren | 1 Point |
| Driving with no Liability Insurance | 1 Point |
| At Fault Accident (property damage > $1,800, but < $3,000) | 2 Points |
| Speeding (>10 mph over limit when speed limit is > 55, but < 76) | 2 Points |
| Speeding (less than 10mph over limit when speed limit is 55 or greater) | 2 Points |
| Speeding when limit is 55 mph or greater | By Speed |
| Speeding when limit is 55 mph or less | By Speed |
| Speeding in School Zone | By Speed |
| All other Moving Violations | 2 Points |
| Failure to Restrain Child in Restraint | 1 Point |
| At-Fault Accidents (injury or property damage < $1,800) | 1 Point |
| Speeding (10 mph or less over limit when speed limit is less than 55) | 1 Point |
| Littering from vehicle | 1 Point |
| Non-Moving Violations | 0 Points |
No Insurance points will be charged for (i) accidents resulting in no injuries and property damage less than $1,800 (if there is no conviction for a related moving violation, and the other driver’s in the household have a clean driving record for the past 3 years), (ii) once conviction every 3 years of speeding 10 mph or less (if not in a school zone), and (iii) one Prayer for Judgment Continued every three years (provided no other driver in your household or on your auto insurance policy has used a Prayer for Judgment Continued in the preceding 3 years). An insurance point will continue to affect your insurance premiums until the occurrence that caused the insurance point is more than 3 years old. The table below shows how insurance points will impact your auto insurance premiums.
| Insurance Points Assessed | Percentage of Rate Increase |
|---|---|
| 1 | 25% |
| 2 | 45% |
| 3 | 60% |
| 4 | 80% |
| 5 | 105% |
| 6 | 130% |
| 7 | 160% |
| 8 | 190% |
| 9 | 225% |
| 10 | 260% |
| 11 | 300% |
| 12 | 340% |
Kreger Brodish’s North Carolina Speeding Ticket Attorneys serve clients charged with speeding and other traffic violations in Durham County, Guilford County (including the cities of Gibsonville, Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown, Oak Ridge, Pleasant Garden, Sedalia, Stokesdale, Summerfield and Whitsett) and Orange County (including the cities of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough).
