What Happens if a Ticket Gets on My DMV Record

Don’t just pay off your ticket and forget it, it will come back to bite you!

Many times when people get a traffic ticket they just pay it off. If you get a ticket for a moving violation and you just pay it off, you are essentially pleading guilty to the ticket and putting at least one DMV point on your record.

We recommend you do everything you can to avoid DMV points going on your record so your insurance rates do not increase. We recommend you think twice about paying the court for tickets involving moving violations and instead consider doing traffic school.

A typical traffic ticket stays on your record for approximately three years, potentially impacting your car insurance rates and ability to drive.

For example, in California, speeding tickets disappear after 39 months but in Virginia they last for five years. And some states maintain records of driving infractions forever.

However, your rate increase will be highest in the beginning and could gradually decline over time. Additionally, more serious infractions like DUIs will have much more severe and longer-lasting consequences. Depending on the severity of the infraction and how recently it occurred, some insurance companies may not offer you coverage at all.

Not all tickets impact your insurance rates, however.

• • Insurers are usually only concerned with moving violations — infractions that occur while driving your car, such as speeding tickets or accidents.
  • A parking ticket, for example, won’t make your insurance go up.
  • Additionally, any ticket that you had overturned, or expunged from your driving record, won’t affect your rates — regardless of how long ago the incident occurred.

How your point total is calculated

• You must be convicted of the traffic violation before points are added to your driving record.  By simply paying your ticket for a moving violation, you are essentially pleading guilty to the ticket and putting at least one DMV point on your record.
• Your point total is calculated based on the date of the violation (the date of your ticket), not the date of the conviction.
• 12-month total
  • The points for violations that all occurred within the last 12 months are added to calculate your point total for the current 12-month period.
  • Once 12 months have passed from the violation date, the points for that violation no longer count toward your current 12-month total. However, the points remain on your driving record as long as the conviction remains on your record.
• 24-month total
  • The points for violations that all occurred within the last 24 months are added to calculate your point total for the current 24-month period.
  • Once 24 months have passed from the violation date, the points for those violations no longer count toward your current 24-month total. However, the points remain on your driving record as long as the conviction remains on your record.
• 36-month total
  • The points for violations that all occurred within the last 36 months are added to calculate your point total for the current 36-month period.
  • Once 36 months have passed from the violation date, the points for those violations no longer count toward your current 36-month total. However, the points remain on your driving record as long as the conviction remains on your record.
• If the points are publicly visible (not masked), they may be used by your insurance company to increase your premiums.  See below for more information on hiding or masking points by attending Traffic school.

Traffic school classes are offered in person or online

• Driving techniques
• The times of day that are most and least safe to drive
• Other driving-related statistics.

DMV Driving Record FAQ