Arkansas Traffic Violations

Drivers in Arkansas are regulated by the Arkansas state vehicle code and are issued traffic violations in accordance with the rules set out by the Arkansas state legislature. Drivers who incur traffic violations are required to pay the fine for the traffic ticket in the Arkansas county where they received the citation. If you wish to appear in court in order to challenge the ticket or plead guilty, the contact information for the local Arkansas court that will manage your particular violation will be provided on the traffic citation you were issued.

Arkansas Points System and Suspension of Licenses

Arkansas uses a points system for repeat offenders of traffic violations in order to track unsafe drivers and determine if your Arkansas driving privileges should be temporarily restricted, suspended, or even revoked. Examples of the amount of points placed on your record per traffic violation include:

• Speeding by up to 10mph: 3 points
• Running a Red Light: 3 points
• Reckless Driving: 8 points

These points drop off after a period of one year on your Arkansas driving record. However, once you accumulate a total of 13 points on your Arkansas driving record in a single year, the Arkansas's Officer of Driver Services ("ODS") will mail you a written warning detailing the points on your driving record and the repercussions of committing additional traffic violations.

If you receive 14 points on your Arkansas driving record in a one-year timeframe, your Arkansas driving privileges will be suspended for one month. After 18 points, your Arkansas license can be suspended for up to six months, and the accumulation of 24 points on your driving record in a one-year time span may result in suspension of your Arkansas driving privileges for one calendar year.

However, Arkansas will not suspend your license, regardless of the points that have accumulated on your driving record, until you have received an administrative hearing with the Arkansas ODS. At the hearing, the Driver Control Hearing Officer in charge has the discretion to lower or raise the severity of your suspension based on your previous driving record and the particular circumstances leading to your hearing. If a hearing is scheduled for you regarding your Arkansas driving privileges, it is crucial that you attend. Arkansas state law requires that an ODS Hearing Officer automatically suspend your license indefinitely if you fail to present yourself for your hearing.

Attending Arkansas Traffic School

Depending on the nature of your traffic violation, the local Arkansas court handling your traffic violation may require you to attend an Arkansas traffic school or an Arkansas defensive driving program. Further, some Arkansas courts will allow you to have the traffic violation reduced or even dismissed if you attend an approved Arkansas traffic school. Arkansas courts have discretion over whether an online traffic school or online defensive driving program will satisfy Arkansas state requirements for defensive driving programs. If you would like to participate in an Arkansas online traffic school program or Arkansas online defensive driving program, you should contact the local court handling your traffic violation as ask if the online traffic school course you wish to take will satisfy state requirements, or if it has already been approved by the court or Arkansas ODS.

If you are interested in having your traffic violation reduced or dismissed, you may want to appear in court on the date provided on your citation and request an opportunity to enroll in an Arkansas online traffic school program in order to secure a more lenient penalty.

The Benefits of a Clean Arkansas Driving Record

Maintaining a clean driving record in Arkansas is more beneficial than merely avoiding the fine associated with your traffic citation. By getting rid of traffic violations on your Arkansas driving record, you can prevent your insurance premiums from being raised by your auto insurance carrier based on poor driving habits.

Arkansas Mature Drivers

In fact, a clean Arkansas driving record may even qualify you for an insurance discount. Arkansas Mature Drivers, or those drivers over the age of 55, can take an hour online mature driver course that will help to lower their insurance premiums.

Arkansas Juvenile Drivers

Juvenile Arkansas drivers, or those under the age of 18, may also be able to take advantage of online Arkansas driver improvement courses to lower insurance costs. Online defensive driving programs can also improve your overall driving skills and help you avoid costly accidents and traffic tickets in the future.

Arkansas Classroom Traffic Schools

If you are interested in attending a more classical, brick-and-mortar traffic school, you should contact the Arkansas ODS and ask them if the class you are interested in will meet Arkansas statutory requirements, or if they will approve the class so you can enroll.