Points, tickets and licence suspension in Florida

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state the points for common offenses.
• You can explain the 12, 18 and 24 point suspension thresholds.
• You can explain the six-point business-purposes restriction for teens.
• You can describe how electing traffic school can keep points off your record.
• You can explain how a ticket affects a learner's path to a Class E license.

What you need to know and understand

• Most moving violations, and speeding up to 15 mph over the limit, carry 3 points.
• Speeding more than 15 mph over, reckless driving and passing a stopped school bus carry 4 points.
• Leaving the scene of a crash with property damage over $50, and unlawful speed or phone use causing a crash, carry 6 points.
• FLHSMV suspends for 12 points in 12 months (up to 30 days), 18 points in 18 months (up to 3 months) or 24 points in 36 months (up to 1 year).
• A Class E licensee aged 15 to 17 with 6 or more points in 12 months is restricted to business purposes only for at least 1 year.
• Each extra point during the teen restriction adds 90 days; it ends after a clean year or at 18 if there are no other grounds.
• Electing a basic driver improvement course for an eligible ticket means adjudication is withheld and no points are assessed.
• A learner under 18 needs 12 months with no moving convictions before a Class E license, unless traffic school was elected with adjudication withheld.

Common point values

• Speeding up to 15 mph over the limit: 3 points.
• Speeding more than 15 mph over: 4 points.
• Running a red light (officer-issued ticket): 4 points.
• Passing a stopped school bus: 4 points.
• Reckless driving: 4 points.
• Child restraint violation: 3 points.
• Unlawfully crossing a railroad crossing: 6 points.
• Leaving the scene of a crash with property damage over $50: 6 points.

The stricter rule for teens

If you are 15 to 17 and build up six or more points in any 12 months, excluding parking tickets, FLHSMV notifies you and you must appear within 10 days to have a business-purposes-only restriction applied. Business purposes means driving needed for work, school, church and medical care. There is no administrative hearing to challenge this restriction.

Two 3-point tickets are enough. Our Florida points system guide covers the three-crashes rule and other ways to lose your license.

Keeping points off your record

For many tickets you can choose a basic driver improvement course instead of going to court. Adjudication is withheld, no points are added, and the civil penalty is reduced. You can elect this only once in any 12 months and no more than eight times in your life, and it is not available for every offense, such as speeding 30 mph or more over the limit. Some offenses, including a crash causing serious injury or death and passing a school bus on the side children enter, require a court hearing.

After a points suspension, you must enroll in an advanced driver improvement course before reinstatement.

Common mistakes

• Ignoring a ticket. Unpaid tickets can lead to suspension on their own.
• Using up your traffic school election on a minor ticket and then getting another within 12 months.
• Assuming points from another state do not count. Out-of-state convictions can be recorded in Florida.
• Thinking six points is a long way off as a teen. Two ordinary moving violations reach it.

Test yourself: Points, tickets and licence suspension in Florida

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Florida Driver License Points
• Florida 50 Hour Driving Certification
• Florida Permit Test