While traffic tickets may not result in jail time or a serious criminal offense on your record, they can be detrimental, and you should take them seriously. Not only will have multiple traffic tickets start to impact your insurance premiums but also they lead to black marks on your driving record.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, your driver’s history is a list of all your violations, but to see the impact of those violations, you will need to see your driver’s record. In this file, you will see points. The state uses a point system to help ensure safe driving and encourage drivers to use good habits.
The basics
Most types of moving violations will result in one or more points on your license. For example, if you get a ticket for speeding and you were going 26 miles per hour over the speed limit, you will receive six points on your record. That is the highest amount you can receive, and most violations will only result in a couple of points, but they do accumulate.
Suspension risk
Not every violation will result in a point on your record, but if you do get too many points, you could face a suspension. The maximum amount of points you can have is six. Once you reach six, you will have a 90-day suspension automatically. If you have already had a suspension due to point accumulation, you will face a longer suspension the next time.
You can avoid license restrictions the first time you get six points by taking a written exam on safe driving and possible punishments for violations. This will remove two points from your record, allowing you to avoid losing your license.
