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How Many Points on your License is a DUI in California?

If you’ve been convicted of driving while under the influence, you will get points on your license. In California, a DUI is worth two points.In California, the validity of a person’s driver’s license is determined using a point system. You start out with zero points, but as you incur infractions, or misdemeanors, you begin to accumulate points. The more points you have, the riskier your driving behavior. Excessive points can result in increased insurance premiums, suspended licenses, or even revoked driving privileges.

Naturally, a DUI is one of the more severe offenses you can incur on the road. While most offenses, such as running a stop sign or speeding, will only cost you a single point, more serious offenses, such as DUIs, are valued at double the points.

What Do Points Mean to Your California Driver’s License?

If you’ve been convicted of driving while under the influence, you will get points on your license. In California, a DUI is worth two points.

You’ll face suspension of your license if you accumulate:

  • 4 points in one year
  • 6 points in two years
  • 8 points in three years

It’s important to note that the court may suspend your license regardless of the number of points you’ve accumulated, as the point system is monitored and administrated by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and is a separate entity from the judicial system. In a California DUI case, it is likely your license will be suspended for some amount of time, regardless of how clean your driving record was before you were arrested.

Because the penalties from the court are mutually exclusive of those handed down from the DMV, they could be added together, one after another. In other words, when you’ve completed your suspension from the court, you could still have a suspended license if you have too many points on your DMV record.

Removing Points from Your License

It’s important to keep your points as low as possible always. You cannot remove DUI points from your license. They stay on your record for 10 years, regardless of any community service, classes, or fines you might pay. However, you may be able to reduce the total number of points you have on your license by attending traffic school or taking defensive driving courses. Often times, points accumulated from speeding tickets and other traffic infractions can be removed or reduced when a person attends specific courses, thus reducing the total number of points on your license. If you bring your total points down low enough, you may be able to avoid a DMV suspension after you’ve finished with your court-ordered obligations.

If you wish to combat an administrative suspension, you must act fast. In California, you have 10 days to request a DMV hearing from the time you were arrested if you want to have a chance at stopping this suspension. It’s in your best interest to have an experienced DUI attorney by your side at this hearing. Reach out to an experienced California DUI lawyer as soon as possible to ensure you’re able to keep as many driving privileges as possible.

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