North Carolina Traffic Violations, Points System and Suspension of Licenses

In North Carolina, drivers who are involved in a traffic violation receive points which are placed against their North Carolina driving record. Drivers in North Carolina who receive seven or more points on their driving record may be required to take a North Carolina Driver Improvement Clinic, either by a North Carolina court, or by a North Carolina DMV hearing officer who handles driver's licenses.

If you have been convicted of a traffic violation in North Carolina and complete the driver improvement clinic, also known a North Carolina traffic school or a North Carolina defensive driving program, you can get up to three points taken off your driving record, as stated in the North Carolina DMV's official driver's handbook.

North Carolina Traffic School and Defensive Driving Programs

In order to enroll in a North Carolina driving improvement program, you must first contact the North Carolina DMV to set up a hearing with a driver's license hearing officer. However, courts in North Carolina have jurisdiction of online traffic schools, based on the county and court in which you received the traffic violation. So, if you are given a traffic ticket and you want to take an online defensive driving course or online traffic school class in order to have the citation and points removed from your North Carolina driving record, you should first contact the North Carolina court overseeing your traffic violation prior to meeting with the North Carolina DMV hearing officer, to request permission to attend a North Carolina online traffic school. You can find contact information for the court handling your traffic violation on the citation itself.

After contacting the North Carolina court and meeting with a North Carolina DMV hearing officer, you must pay the North Carolina DMV a $50 fee to sign up for your North Carolina defensive driving program. It is imperative that you pay the North Carolina DMV prior to attending the program online or in person, and that you bring your receipt with you to the traffic school, or have the receipt on hand when you begin the North Carolina online traffic school course.

Once you have completed the driving improvement program, the online traffic school or traditional traffic school will notify the North Carolina DMV, which will then remove the points from your North Carolina driving record. It is important to note that you may only take the North Carolina driver improvement program once every five years in order to reduce the points on your North Carolina driver's license.

The Benefits of a Clean North Carolina Driving Record

Unfortunately, participating in a North Carolina online traffic school or an online driving improvement program will not suffice to have your traffic violation dismissed entirely. Also, you likely cannot lower your auto insurance in North Carolina simply by attending the defensive driving course if you are a North Carolina resident. However, if you are not a resident of North Carolina, the North Carolina driving improvement course will likely help reduce or maintain your auto insurance premiums.

Further, keeping a North Carolina driving record with as little "points" and traffic violations as possible will help you in other ways. Besides just avoiding costly citations, keeping your driving record clean ensures your North Carolina driving privileges are not suspended or taken away entirely.

North Carolina Insurance Reduction

Also, if you have not yet been in a traffic accident or received a traffic violation, online traffic school and enrollment in the North Carolina online driver improvement program will help to lower car insurance payments by adding support to your driving record of your dedication to safe driving. Eliminating traffic tickets and points from your driving record significantly reduces the chances of your auto insurance premiums being increased at a later time.

North Carolina Mature Drivers.

A good driving record can also help you get insurance discounts for North Carolina Mature Drivers, or those drivers over the age of 50, who can often complete online mature driver courses that will help lower insurance premiums.

North Carolina Teen Drivers

Clean driving records can also result in insurance discounts, especially for Juvenile Drivers, drivers who are under the age of 18.

Overall, online traffic school and online defensive driving programs give drivers the defensive driving techniques that can help you avoid costly traffic tickets in the future.

North Carolina Traditional Classroom Driver Improvement Courses

If you want to take traffic school in a more traditional classroom setting, you can do so prior to receiving a traffic violation by contacting the North Carolina DMV for more information about the North Carolina Driver Improvement Program, or ask a North Carolina DMV hearing officer during your meeting for a list of approved North Carolina traffic schools.