How Many Points Until Your Florida Driver’s License is Suspended?
Florida uses a point system to track driving infractions, and if you earn enough points, your license will be suspended.
Written by Nathan Porceng
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
You accumulate points on your Florida driving record as you commit driving infractions. These points will raise your insurance rates—and if you hit 12 points in 12 months, the state will suspend your license.
No driver is perfect. Most of us, no matter how careful, will commit a driving infraction at some point in our lives. In Florida, each driving infraction nets you a predefined number of points, allocated according to the infraction’s severity. These points will raise your insurance rate, and if you accumulate enough of them, your Florida driver’s license will be suspended.
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!Read on to learn more about how driving infractions are managed in Florida—and how to keep your insurance rate low.
How many points are needed to suspend a license in Florida?
In Florida, driving infractions are assigned points according to their severity. Failing to yield will net you three points while leaving the scene of a car crash without providing required information will earn you six points. Accumulating points will raise your insurance rate, and if you accrue enough of them, your license may be suspended.
Under Florida law, if you earn 12 points in 12 months, your driver’s license will be suspended for 30 days. Earn 18 points in 18 months, and the penalty rises to a three-month suspension. Most severe of all, if you earn 24 points in 36 months, your driver’s license will be suspended for a whole year.
If you need to drive for business or employment purposes, Florida will allow you to apply for a hardship license. To be approved for a hardship license, you must complete an Advanced Driver Improvement course and pay a reinstatement fee and other applicable licensing fees. A hardship license will allow you to drive for work only.
If you are unable to obtain a hardship license, you must wait until your suspension is complete. Then you must submit proof of completion of an Advanced Driver Improvement course, as well as payment for reinstatement and administrative fees to any Florida driver’s license service center.
How many points will a driving infraction earn?
While every traffic ticket can be a headache, some are more damaging to your driving record than others. The least severe infractions, such as seatbelt violations, will earn you three points. The most severe infractions, such as speeding and leading to an accident, will earn you six points.
Accumulating points on your driving record will increase your insurance costs and may lead to your driver’s license being suspended. Here is an overview of points assigned for common driving infractions in Florida:
Driving infraction | Points |
|---|---|
Speeding | 3 |
Careless driving | 3 |
Failure to yield | 3 |
Improper backing | 3 |
Failure to properly restrain child | 3 |
Failure to obey a traffic command signal | 4 |
Failure to stop for a school bus | 4 |
Reckless driving | 4 |
Leaving scene of accident without providing required information | 6 |
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If you hold a Florida driver’s license, but commit a driving infraction in another state, the citation will be sent to Florida and added to your driving record. If it’s a point-accessible violation, points will be added to your driving record. Florida does not allow any means to remove points from your driving record.
To verify the number of points on your driving record, use Florida’s
Online Driver License Check
. You can also purchase your complete driving record from a driver’s license service center, county clerk, or private vendor.Key Takeaway In Florida, accruing 12 points in a 12-month period will earn you a 30-day suspension of your driver’s license.
How do points affect your insurance?
How points affect your insurance rate depends on the severity of the offense and the total number of points you have accrued.
For example, a simple speeding ticket that nets you three points will raise your car insurance rate by about 25%. A 4-point reckless driving ticket will raise your rate by 44%. Commit multiple infractions, and your insurance rate will rise even more.
Points stay on your driving record for three years, and they’ll affect your insurance rate until they’re cleared. Luckily, there may be some cases when you remove points from your driver’s record sooner.
How can you remove points from your driver’s record?
If you wish to avoid increased insurance costs, there is a way to remove points from your Florida driver’s record.
Taking an Advanced Driver Improvement course may take points off your driving record. To attend a driver improvement course, you must contact the relevant court within 30 days of receiving your traffic ticket. Courses may be in person or online. They’re widely available and typically cost just $25. You may register for a driver improvement course once every 12 months, but only five times total in your life.
How to find affordable insurance for your car
Keeping a clean driving record is the best way to keep your
car insurance
rate low. If you do commit a driving infraction, take a driver improvement course to prevent accruing points.For those looking to save even more money on their car insurance,
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4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ driversHow can I remove points from my driving record?
Taking an Advanced Driver Improvement course may prevent points from accruing on your driving record.
How do points affect insurance costs?
The more points an offense earns you, the more your insurance costs go up. For example, in Florida, a three-point speeding offense will raise your car insurance rate by about 25%.
